Southern Asia

division

ADULT SABBATH SCHOOL BIBLE STUDY GUIDE

THE REFINER’S FIRE

SEVENTH-DAY

ADVENTIST CHURCH

O ct

■

Nov

■

D ec 2007

Thimphu

New Delhi

Ongole

West

Bengal

Orissa

Kathmandu

BHUTAN

NEPAL

INDIA

Andaman

Islands

Nicobar

Islands

Maldive

Islands

Ganges

anges

Godavari R.

Krishna

rishna R.

Narmada R.

anges

Godavari R.

Bay

Bengal

*EAQ071001*

Where legally possible, offerings will go to these projects; otherwise special arrangement will be made with the

General Conference for distribution of funds based on the laws of the countries where these offerings are collected.

Mission Projects

Our Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter will help congrega-

tions throughout Southern Asia provide the following:

● Secondary school (boarding academy) in Ongole, eastern India.

● Boys dormitory for Raymond Memorial Higher Secondary

School, W

est Bengal, India.

● Twenty churches for existing congregations in Orissa State, India.

● Twenty chur

ches throughout Southern Asia Division.

For more information, visit www.AdventistMission.org.

●

Unions Churches Members Population

East-Central India 1,219 572,946 132,762,599

Northeast India 156 40,804 38,074,062

Northern India 280 107,995 609,295,352

South-Central India 197 61,339 66,436,479

Southeast India 284 89,688 67,319,356

Southwest India 212 32,320 31,452,486

Western India 154 94,599 157,814,228

Attached Fields:

Andaman and Nicobar Island Region 1 198 441,438

Nepal Field 9 3,647 25,371,000

Totals* 2,512 1,003,536 1,130,231,000

*Totals from Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook 2006

●

ADULT

SABBATH SCHOOL

BIBLE STUDY GUIDE

Oct

■

Nov

■

Dec 2007

THE

REFINER’S

FIRE

THE

REFINER’S

FIRE

Contents

Editorial Assistants

Tresa Beard

Larie S. Gray

Jean Kellner

Pacific Press

Coordinator

Paul A. Hey

Art Director and Illustrator

Lars Justinen

Concept Design

Dever Design

Editorial Office 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904

Come visit us at our Web site: http://www.absg.adventist.org.

Principal Contributor

Gavin Anthony

Editor

Clifford R. Goldstein

Associate Editor

Soraya Homayouni Parish

Publication Manager

Lea Alexander Greve

The Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide is prepared by the Office of the Adult Bible

Study Guide of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The preparation of the

guides is under the general direction of a worldwide Sabbath School Manuscript Evaluation

Committee, whose members serve as consulting editors. The published guide reflects the

input of the committee and thus does not solely or necessarily represent the intent of the

author(s).

1 The Shepherd’s Crucible—September 29–October 5 ——————6

2 The Crucibles That Come—October 6–12 ——————————14

3 The Birdcage—October 13–19 ———————————————22

4 Seeing the Goldsmith’s Face—October 20–26 ————————30

5 Extreme Heat—October 27–November 2 ———————————38

6 Struggling With All Energy—November 3–9 —————————46

7 Indestructible Hope—November 10–16 ———————————56

8 Seeing the Invisible—November 17–23 ————————————64

9 A Life of Praise—November 24–30 —————————————72

10 Meekness in the Crucible—December 1–7 ——————————80

11 Waiting in the Crucible—December 8–14 ——————————88

12 Dying Like a Seed—December 15–21 ————————————96

13 Christ in the Crucible—December 22–28 ——————————104

“All things were made by him; and

without him was not any thing made that

was made”

(John 1:3).

“All things” were made by Him, Jesus,

and yet—according to Scripture—“Jesus

wept”

(John 11:35). The Creator wept?

Even more so, Jesus was “despised and

rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and

acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). The

Creator, a man of sorrows, despised and rejected? And He once cried

out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

(Matt. 27:46).

How could these things be? It’s because Jesus, our Creator, was also

our Redeemer, and as such He was the Crucified God—the Creator

who took on humanity and in that humanity suffered through a life of

privation and toil that ended with Him hung on a Roman cross.

Thus, our Creator, the One in whom “we live, and move, and have

our being”

(Acts 17:28), suffered in humanity in ways that none of us

ever could. We can experience only our own griefs, our own sorrows;

at the Cross He bore “our griefs, and carried our sorrows”

(Isa. 53:4)—

all of them. It’s the most amazing act in all cosmic history.

With that background (that of the crucified God looming over us

like the desert sky) we will for the next few months seek to better com-

prehend the incomprehensible—our own suffering, the sufferings of

Christians, of those who have committed their lives to Christ. We’re

making no claims to have all the answers or even many; we’re claiming

only that “God is love”

(1 John 4:8) and that although these things hap-

pen, we can trust God despite them and, indeed, grow in grace through

them, no matter how painful the process.

This quarter we will study the Word of God and see how other flesh

and blood, though radiated in faith, nevertheless faced despair,

betrayal, disappointment, loss, injustice, and abuse (sound like any-

thing you can relate to?). How did they cope? What did they learn?

The Crucified Creator

At the Cross, He

[Jesus, our Creator]

bore “our griefs and

carried our sorrows”

(Isa. 53:4)—all of

them.

What can their examples teach us?

As we look at these people, their experiences, their struggles, and

their trials of faith (which might be much like our own), we must

always see them contrasted against the background of the Cross. We

must always remember that no matter what anyone faces, Jesus Christ,

our Creator and Redeemer, went through much worse.

Our God is a suffering God. Even Albert Camus, hardly a Christian,

understood some of the implications of the Cross and the sufferings of

God there: “The night on Golgotha is so important in the history of

man only because, in its shadow, the divinity abandoned its traditional

privileges and drank to the last drop, despair included, the agony of

death.”—Albert Camus,

The Rebel (New York: Vintage International,

1991), p. 33. Or, as Ellen White expressed it, “The cross is a revelation

to our dull senses of the pain that, from its very inception, sin has

brought to the heart of God.”—Ellen G. White,

Education, p. 263.

Our lessons are not a theodicy, the justification of God in the face of

evil. Instead, as we’ve said, they’re an attempt to help us work through

the inevitable suffering we all face here in a world where sin is as easy

as breathing. What we will try to show is that pain, suffering, and loss

don’t mean that God has abandoned us; they mean only that, even as

believers, we share now in the common lot of a fallen race. The differ-

ence is that for us, through Jesus and the hope He offers, meaning and

purpose can be found in what seems meaningless and purposeless and

that somehow, even if we can’t imagine how, we can trust the promise

that “all things work together for good to those who love God”

(Rom.

8:28, NKJV)

—the God who, though He made all things, suffered all

things, too (and that’s why we love Him).

Gavin Anthony, this quarter’s principal contributor, grew up in Sri

Lanka as a missionary kid. He worked as a pastor in England and was

conference president in I

celand when he authored these lessons.

Creator

Got

Questions?

Sabbath School

University

has answers!

Sabbath School University is a

28-minute discussion of the Adult

Sabbath School Bible Study Guide. SSU

discusses the content and strategies to

enrich your Sabbath School with

fellowship, outreach, Bible study,

and missions. Sabbath School leaders,

don’t miss this weekly broadcast on

Hope Channel.

www.hopetv.org

We’re all

God’s

children.

Some of

us just

don’t

know

Him yet.

Your mission

offerings help to

Tell the World.

www.AdventistMission.org

L ESSON

*September 29–October 5

The Shepherd’s

Crucible

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Psalm 23, Rom. 12:18–21.

Memory Text:

“He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths

of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3, NKJV).

ophie leaned back against her bedroom door and slid to the

floor. Tears were welling up fast, and it was only a moment

before she was sobbing. “How could he? How could he!”

Sophie had just received news that was breaking her heart. Someone

she thought was a friend, someone she respected and trusted, was

spreading awful gossip about her in order to ruin her reputation and

the work she had been doing. Grabbing her Bible off the bed, she sud-

denly found herself staring at some very familiar words: “He restores

my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s

sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I

will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they

comfort me”

(Ps. 23:3, 4, NKJV).

“Surely this can’t be!” she blurted out to herself. But the logic

seemed inescapable. The Shepherd in the psalm was guiding His

sheep in paths of righteousness, but these very paths also seemed to

wind their way into the valley of the shadow of death. Could it be pos-

sible that even this painful betrayal by a friend, this dark valley, could

be used by God to train her in righteousness?

The Week at a Glance:

At w

hat times ha

ve you grown

more spiritually—through the easy times or the harder ones?

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 6.

SUNDAY

September 30

A Guide for the Journey:

The Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1, NKJV).

Some children were asked to draw a picture of God. Each one drew

a heart somewhere in it. When asked why, they declared unanimously

that God is love.

It is easy to have a good opinion about God and His purposes when

everything is going well. As we grow older and life becomes harder

and more complicated, our view of God often changes. God doesn’t

change

(Heb. 13:8, James 1:17); we do.

Because of the pastoral lifestyle of the people in Old Testament

times, Psalm 23 uses the image of a shepherd to describe how God

cares for us. The symbol of a shepherd is used for God—in both the

Old Testament and the New Testament. It’s a wonderful and change-

less picture. Before we look at Psalm 23, let’s survey how different

Bible writers understand the work and character of the Shepherd.

What

do you learn about the Shepherd from each text?

Isa. 40:11

____________________________________________________________________

Jer. 23:3, 4

____________________________________________________________________

Ezek. 34:12

____________________________________________________________________

John 10:14–16

____________________________________________________________________

1 Pet. 2:25

____________________________________________________________________

What

does the Shepherd do to care for His sheep in Psalm 23:2–6?

____________________________________________________________________

What does it mean to y

ou to kno

w that ther

e is Someone lik

this caring for you? How could you encourage someone whose

own picture of God has been obscured because of his or her

struggles?

MONDAY

October 1

Locations on the Journey

“He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake” (Ps. 23:3,

NRSV).

Imagine the “paths of righteousness” (vs. 3) stretching out before

you, way out into the distance. You cannot see the end, but you know

that at the end of the journey is home, God’s house. As you focus a lit-

tle closer to you, do you see where the paths lead to? You can see some

places clearly, but other parts are totally obstructed by large or dan-

gerous obstacles. Sometimes the path disappears over a ridge. Some

parts of the path are easy to walk along; others are difficult. It was just

like this as Israel traveled from Egypt to the Promised Land, and it is

described the same way in this psalm.

Identify

from Psalm 23 the locations that David sees the sheep pass-

ing through when following the paths of righteousness as they

make their way to the house of the Lord.

____________________________________________________________________

But why are these paths called “paths of righteousness” (NIV, KJV)

or “right paths” (NRSV)? Here are four important reasons. First, they

are the right paths because they lead to the right destination—the

Shepherd’s home. Second, they are the right paths because they keep

us in harmony with the right Person—the Shepherd Himself. Third,

they are the right paths because they train us to be the right

people—like the Shepherd. Fourth, they are the right paths because

they give us the right witness. As we become the right people, we give

glory to the Lord. They are “right” or “righteous” paths whether the

going is easy or hard.

It is important to realize that when God leads us, it is not simply a

question of His delivering a parcel to the destination. It is much more

than guidance and protection. Like the many examples all through the

Bible in which God is leading His people (whether it is leading

Abraham by His promises or leading Israel by the pillar of fire and

cloud), when God is guiding, it is always about Him training His peo-

ple in righteousness.

How conscious are you that righteousness is the Shepherd’s pri-

ority for your life? Ho

w can trials change your life so that you

better reflect the character of Christ?

TUESDAY

October 2

Unexpected Detour 1: The Valley

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff,

they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4, NKJV).

It would be nice if the paths of righteousness wound their way only

along the grass-covered banks of cool streams. But that is not the way

David paints it. Also along these paths is the valley of the shadow of

death—not a place that we are too eager to visit! At certain times of

the year, the wadis and ravines found in Israel are prone to flash floods

that could come unexpectedly and prove overwhelming. These places

are also characteristically narrow, with steep sides that block out the

light. Hence, “the shadow of death” is an image for a “very deep

shadow” or “deep darkness.”

Think

about the times you have been in your own “valley of the

shadow of death.” What has it been like? Did you have fear, even

though you knew that the Shepherd was there? Which Bible texts

were most precious to you at that time and why?

____________________________________________________________________

How

do you think the sheep ended up in the valley? Do you think the

sheep went there on their own, or did the Shepherd lead the sheep

that way Himself? Justify your answer.

____________________________________________________________________

Elisabeth Elliot writes, “A lamb who found himself in the Valley of

the Shadow of Death might conclude that he had been falsely led. It

was needful for him to traverse that darkness in order to learn not to

fear. The Shepherd is still with him.”—

Quest for Love (Grand Rapids,

Mich.: Fleming H. Revell, 1996), p. 218.

Have you ever felt that you have been “falsely led” into the val-

ley? How did you respond to God during this time? Why do you

think the Shepher

d might be willing to risk being misunder

stood by permitting us to enter a dark valley?

WEDNESDAY

October 3

Unexpected Detour 2:

The Surrounded Table

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over” (Ps. 23:5, NKJV).

Throughout our lives we will inevitably have enemies. How do you

deal with them? Have you ever lain awake at night, dreaming up ways

to take revenge on those who are trying to hurt you or destroy your

work? It can be hard for Christians to deal with enemies.

What

type of enemies have you had? How have you responded to

those who have tried to hurt you? How well did you follow Christ’s

words in Matthew 5:44 or Paul’s words in Romans 12:18–21?

____________________________________________________________________

In Psalm 23:5, David shows us a way of dealing with enemies. He

obscures their presence b

y looking instead at what God is doing in his

behalf. And God is there preparing a banquet for him.

In David’s culture, when an honored guest came for a feast, the host

would anoint his head with oil as the guest was about to enter the ban-

queting hall. The oil was a mixture of olive oil and perfume. Then the

guest would be seated in front of far more food than he or she could ever

eat.

How

could the three items (table, oil, cup) in Psalm 23:5 help to remind

us about how God provides, even when we are in the valley?

____________________________________________________________________

As Paul reminds us, “our struggle is not against enemies of blood

and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cos-

mic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil

in the heavenly places”

(Eph. 6:12, NRSV). Our enemies include those

we see and those w

e don’

t. Yet, when we are with the Shepherd, not one

enemy, visible or invisible, can steal what He has provided for us.

Reflect on ho

w the Shepherd has treated you when you have

been surrounded by enemies. What can you see during these dif-

ficulties that can ena

le you to give thanks?

THURSDAY

October 4

A Certain Promise for the Journey

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my

life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Ps. 23:6,

NKJV).

In the valley or surrounded by enemies, it is sometimes tempting to

believe we are alone. It does not always feel as though God has been

doing much. But David obviously does not see it like this.

spite of his trials, what two things does David say in verse 6 that he is

certain of? See also Eph. 1:4, 2 Pet. 1:10, Heb. 11:13–15.

____________________________________________________________________

Some translations say that goodness and unfailing love will “follow”

me all the days of my life. But the original verb is stronger, and the text

should read that goodness and unfailing love will “pursue” me all the

days of my life. (In fact, it’s the same verb form used in Genesis 14:14,

Joshua 10:19, and 1 Samuel 25:29 where the idea of “pursuit” is very

clear.)

How

do you picture goodness and unfailing love “pursuing” you?

What do you think David meant by describing God’s care for us

this way?

____________________________________________________________________

No matter how deep the valley or persistent the enemies, the certainty

of God’s goodness, unfailing love, and guidance is unquestionable. If

these thoughts could sustain Jesus through Calvary, we should take heart.

There are times, however, when those we care for are full of questions.

Like David, the best way to address these concerns is often not with a

theological description of what God can do. Rather, as David shows us

in verse 6, it is through an affirmation, the sharing of a personal convic-

tion, of the truth about our God.

What evidence is there from your own knowledge of God that

illustrates the certainty of His goodness and unfailing love?

What evidences could you add from the Bible? How could you

share this with those who may be questioning God’s care? How

is the Cross the gr

eatest e

xample of this “pursuit”?

FRIDAY

October 5

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, “Missionaries in the Home,”

p. 143, in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4; “The Divine Shepherd,”

pp. 476–484, in The Desire of Ages.

“Those who are finally victorious will have seasons of terrible per-

plexity and trial in their religious life; but they must not cast away

their confidence, for this is a part of their discipline in the school of

Christ, and it is essential in order that all dross may be purged away.

The servant of God must endure with fortitude the attacks of the

enemy, his grievous taunts, and must overcome the obstacles which

Satan will place in his way. . . .

“But if you keep looking up, not down at your difficulties, you will

not faint in the way, you will soon see Jesus reaching His hand to help

you, and you will only have to give Him your hand in simple confi-

dence, and let Him lead you. As you become trustful, you will become

hopeful. . . .

“You will find help in Christ to form a strong, symmetrical, beauti-

ful character. Satan cannot make of none effect the light shining forth

from such a character. . . . God has given us His best gift, even His

only-begotten Son, to uplift, ennoble, and fit us, by putting on us His

own perfection of character, for a home in His kingdom.”—Ellen G.

White,

Messages to Young People, pp. 63, 64.

Discussion Questions:

● To what extent have you been aware that the “terrible per-

plexity and trial” that comes into your life may actually be part

of your “discipline in the school of Christ”?

● How might our help, comfort, and encouragement to those in

the valley be part of the Shepherd’s way of getting people

through their crises? What things can you as a church do to be

better used by the Lord to help those in need?

● In class, go around and have each person talk about how good-

ness and mercy “pursued” them. What can you learn from one

another’s experiences?

● Think about the last hours of Christ’s life, as He entered into

the crucible. From what you can tell, either from the Bible or

Ellen White (The Desire of Ages is a great source), how was Jesus,

in His humanity, able to endure? What can we take from His

example for our

selves in whatever crucibles we face, as well?

tor

INSIDE

Stubborn Believer

by ISAAC ROBLES

I first learned about Adventists when I was ten years old. My older

brother, Felipe, had become an Adventist and shared with me what he was

learning. But my father did not like Felipe’s new religion and told him to

stop teaching me and taking me to church. My father thought Adventists

were a strange cult that had brainwashed my brother. Although my brother

could no longer take me to church, I had learned enough to know that the

Sabbath was special. So I tried to spend Sabbaths in my room. I read the

Bible and some Ellen White books my brother gave me.

I continued to keep the Sabbath in my room, but my father forced me to

attend church with him on Sunday and take part in certain rituals. I didn’t

want to, but I was just a kid.

My brother had moved to New York, and when I was 12 I went to visit

him there. At last I could go to church, finish Bible studies, and be bap-

tized. I felt great that I could follow God. I thought that when my father

knew I had been baptized, he would let me worship according to my faith,

but that didn’t happen. He still made me go to church with him and for-

bade me to go to church on Sabbath.

For four years I tried to keep the Sabbath, all while my father, aunts, and

uncles tried to talk me out of it. Some of my cousins called me “Bible

man,” but still I did not give up.

One day my cousin found a tract in the trash. He read it and asked me

about it. I told him Adventists printed it, and he read it with interest. But

I could not teach him or take him to church.

When I was 17 my brother’s father-in-law visited and invited me to go

to church. At last my father allowed me to start attending church. I told the

church pastor about my cousin and the tract he had found. The pastor and

I visited my cousin and his wife, and we gave them Bible studies. He and

his wife have decided to be baptized as well.

My father even allowed me to study at the Adventist university in Puerto

Rico. I praise God for providing a sponsor and a job to help me pay my

fees. My father and I have a better relationship now. I hope that one day

he will accept my faith.

I thank God for my brother who shared what he learned with me. Your

mission offerings make it possible for thousands to hear God’s Word every

day.

ISAAC ROBLES

has completed his education and is teaching high school in Puerto Rico.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*October 6–12

The Crucibles That Come

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Jer. 9:7–16, Rom. 1:21–

32, 2 Cor. 12:7–12, 1 Pet. 4:12–19, 5:8–11.

Memory Text:

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful

trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happen-

ing to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of

Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed”

(1 Peter 4:12, 13, NIV).

n chemistry labs one often places various materials into a small

container and heats them to extreme temperatures. As the con-

tainer becomes hotter, the materials either melt, fizzle, spit, or

burn brightly, depending upon what they are made of. The container

is called a crucible.

A crucible is defined in the dictionary as (1) a vessel used for melt-

ing a substance that requires a high degree of heat, (2) a severe test,

(3) a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause

or influence change or development.

These definitions also give us a helpful insight into what happens in

our spiritual lives. This week we’ll highlight some reasons that we

may suddenly find ourselves under pressure and experiencing tests in

places in which circumstances cause us to change, develop, and grow

in character. This will help to give us an awareness of what God is

doing in our li

es so that when we enter a crucible, we will have an

idea of how to respond.

The Week at a Glance:

What are the causes of the diffi-

cult times that w

e experience through our lives?

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 13.

SUNDAY

October 7

Surprises

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are

suffering, as though something strange were happening to you”

(1 Pet. 4:12, NIV).

Surprises, painful surprises, can come in many ways. A car veering

across the road into your path. A sudden notification that you’re losing

your job. A medical test that gives you unexpected bad news. The

betrayal by someone you loved and who you thought loved you. As bad

as the pain can be, it’s always made worse by the element of surprise.

This week we will look at a few specific types of painful situations

or crucibles that should not take us by surprise. To begin, let’s go back

to the text for today in Peter. The Greek word for “surprised” in 1 Peter

4:12 means to be “alien” or “foreign.” Peter is urging his readers not

to fall into the trap of believing that fiery ordeals and trials are alien

to Christian experience. Rather, they are to be considered normal—

they can and should be expected.

The word used for “fiery ordeal” (NRSV) or “painful trial” (NIV) or

“fiery trial” (NKJV) comes from another Greek word, and it means “a

burning.” In other places it is translated “furnace.” This experience of

suffering for our faith could therefore be considered a “smelting

process,” the process of the crucible.

Read

1 Peter 4:12–19. What is Peter’s message?

____________________________________________________________________

Many of us are surprised about suffering because we often have an

oversimplified view of the Christian life. We know there are two sides—

God, who is good; and Satan, who is bad. But often we then automati-

cally put everything that feels good in the box with God and everything

that feels bad in the box with Satan. But life is not so simple. We can-

not use our feelings to decide what is in God’s box or Satan’s box.

Sometimes walking with God can be challenging and hard. And fol-

lowing Satan can appear to bring great rewards. Job, who is righteous

yet suffering, illustrates this when he asked God, “ ‘Why do the wicked

live on, growing old and increasing in power?’ ”

(Job 21:7, NIV).

Peter was referring to trials that are the consequence of standing

up for Christ.

But there are also other reasons that trials come.

How could 1 Peter 4:12–19 help you to tactfully explain to a

friend why they should not be surprised at the painful trials they

might face?

MONDAY

October 8

Crucibles of Satan

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks

about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet.

5:8, NKJV).

Read

the above text. What’s the message there for us? Ask yourself,

“How seriously do I take these words?” What things do you do in

your life that show whether you take them seriously?

Have you ever watched a hungry lion? It’s awesome because you

know it can catch and eat just about anything it wants. Peter says that

Satan is prowling around in the same way. The great tragedy is that

when we look around, we can see the consequences of his desire to

kill. Death, suffering, and the twisting and perverting of morals and

values are everywhere. We cannot escape seeing the work of Satan.

Read

1 Peter 5:8–11. How should Christians react to Satan’s prowling?

____________________________________________________________________

What

does God promise to do for those who are suffering? Verse 10.

____________________________________________________________________

Peter writes these words in the context of responding to Satan’s

attacks on Christian faith. But as we have mentioned, Satan is at work

in many different ways. And although we must be aware of the reality

and the power of our enemy, we must never be discouraged, for we

must always remember that Jesus has beaten Satan, that Satan is a

defeated foe, and that as long as we stay connected with Jesus, as long

as we cleave to Him in faith, we can never be defeated either. Because

of the Cross, Christ’s victory is our victory.

Think about the other w

ays that Satan causes pain. How could

reading 1 Peter 5:8–11 help us to deal with the anguish that we

experience because of our fate in living in a sinful world where

Satan is allowed to wreak havoc?

TUESDAY

October 9

Crucibles of Sin

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all

ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth

in unrighteousness”

(Rom. 1:18, NKJV).

Everything we do has a consequence. If you stand in the hot sun with

ice cream, it will certainly melt. Cause and effect always go together.

And no matter how desperately we would want things to be different,

it is the same with sin. It always reaps consequences. It is not that God

sits in heaven wondering what terrible things He could do to people

who sin; no, sin itself comes with its own built-in consequences.

The problem is that many times we think that we can somehow out-

wit God and sin without the consequences. It never happens. Paul

makes it very clear that sinning has not only consequences for eternity

but painful and distressing consequences today.

In Romans 1:21–32, Paul describes the process of people falling

into sin and the consequences of those sins. Read prayerfully and care-

fully these verses, and summarize the essence of what he is saying,

focusing specifically on the stages of sin and its consequences.

____________________________________________________________________

Earlier Paul describes these consequences as the “wrath of God”

(vs. 18). God’s wrath in this passage is simply God allowing human

beings to reap what they sow. Even for Christians, God does not

always intervene immediately to remove the pain that results from our

own actions. Many times He allows us to experience the consequences

of our actions in order that we may understand how deeply damaging

and offensive our sin is.

We have been considering the consequences of breaking God’s

moral laws. But what about breaking God’s health laws? Our bodies

are God’s home. If we abuse our bodies by failing to eat healthfully or

exercise, or if we regularly overwork, this is also sin against God. And

this has consequences that can create the conditions of a crucible.

How, in your own life, have you reaped the immediate conse-

quences of your own sins? What lessons have you learned? What

changes must you make in order not to go through something

similar again?

WEDNESDAY

October 10

Crucibles of Purification

“Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will refine them

and try them; for how shall I deal with the daughter of My people?’ ”

(Jer. 9:7, NKJV).

“If the Spirit of God brings to your mind a word of the Lord that

hurts you, you may be sure that there is something He wants to hurt to

death.”—Oswald Chambers,

My Utmost for His Highest (Uhrichsville,

Ohio: Barbour & Company, Inc., 1963), Sept. 27.

How

do you understand the above quote and text? What has been

your own experience with the pains involved in the purification

process?

____________________________________________________________________

Read

Jeremiah 9:7–16. God says that He will “refine and test”

(NRSV), or “melt” (KJV), Judah and Jerusalem (vs. 7, NIV). What

two reasons does God give for this? How will the refining happen?

(vss. 15, 16).

____________________________________________________________________

God’s refining and testing involved drastic action. There are per-

haps three reasons why such refining and testing may feel like a cru-

cible. First, we experience pain as God uses circumstances to bring

our sin to our attention. A little earlier, Jeremiah unhappily writes,

“ ‘The bellows blow fiercely to burn away the lead with fire, but the

refining goes on in vain; the wicked are not purged out’ ”

(Jer. 6:29,

NIV). Thus, sometimes drastic action is needed in order to get our

attention. Second, we experience anguish as we feel sorrow for the sin

we now see clearly. Third, we experience frustration as we try to live

differently. It can be quite uncomfortable and difficult to keep choos-

ing to give up the things that have been so much a part of us.

Think about the sins that you struggle with. If God was going to

refine and test you today, how might He do it? What action

could you tak

e no

w to deal with this before God would want to

take drastic steps with you, as He did with Israel?

THURSDAY

October 11

Crucibles of Maturity

“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of

the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of

Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure”

(2 Cor. 12:7,

NKJV).

There is a big difference between cutting down and pruning. We cut

down plants that we don’t want anymore; we prune plants that we want

to develop into greater fruitfulness. Both processes, however, do involve

a sharp knife. Indeed, pruning requires cutting parts off the plant that

might seem to a novice gardener like destroying it. In a spiritual context,

Bruce Wilkinson writes, “Are you praying for God’s superabundant

blessings and pleading that He will make you more like His Son?

“If your answer is yes, then you are asking for the shears.”—Secrets

of the Vine (Sisters, Ore.: Multnomah Publishers, Inc., 2001), p. 60.

People have wondered what Paul actually meant by a “thorn in my

flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7, NIV). Ideas range from Paul’s having constant

attacks from enemies to having a speech difficulty. It seems that this

was actually a problem with his eyesight.—Ellen G. White Comments,

The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1107. Amazingly, Paul believed

that his “thorn” was “given me.”

What

do you think Paul meant by “given me”? Who gave it to him?

How was God able to use it for Paul’s benefit?

____________________________________________________________________

Notice that Paul’s “thorn” had a definite purpose: “to keep me from

becoming conceited”

(vs. 7, NIV). It was not because of any specific

sin he had committed but to prevent him from sinning in the future.

Paul recognized that he had, by nature, a weakness to sin and that this

“thorn” could guard against it.

Read

2 Corinthians 12:7–12. How does Paul deal with his “thorn”?

Do you think that Paul’s weakness had any other spiritual bene-

fits to him? How can the way that Paul responds help you to deal

with “thorns” that you may have to carry?

____________________________________________________________________

FRIDAY

October 12

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, Nov. 18,

1903; Ellen G. White Comments, p. 1182, in The SDA Bible

Commentary, vol. 4; “Enduring Trials,” p. 92, in My Life Today.

“He who reads the hearts of men knows their characters better than

they themselves know them. He sees that some have powers and sus-

ceptibilities which, rightly directed, might be used in the advancement

of His work. In His providence He brings these persons into different

positions and varied circumstances that they may discover in their

character the defects which have been concealed from their own

knowledge. He gives them opportunity to correct these defects, and to

fit themselves for His service. Often He permits the fires of affliction

to assail them that they may be purified.”—Ellen G. White, The

Ministry of Healing, p. 471.

Discussion Questions:

● It really can be hard while we are reaping the consequences of

our sin. “Will I ever be able to be made right with God again?”

we ask. What promises does God make that can encourage us to

persevere through such times and not give up? (See what Paul

writes later in Romans 5:1–11.) What can you say to someone

who is asking this very question?

● What does Ellen White mean by “His providence”? How does

this work? How do you know when something happens by God’s

providence? What acts of God’s “providence” have led to trials in

your own life? As a class, discuss what you’ve learned at this

time. How might you help someone else who is wondering

whether some event is indeed “His providence”?

● If you know someone going through a crucible right now, does

it matter, or should it matter, what brought it on? That is, how

should you react to them and their suffering, regardless of what

caused it?

● A Christian young man living in South America went through

a bitter trial. After it was over, he moved to Europe and later

commented to someone, “I left my corpse in South America.”

What does that mean? Why must we all, in a sense, leave our

corpse somewhere? What role do trials have in that process?

● As a class, plan an outing to a hospital or somewhere where

you could be of help,

comf

and cheer to those who are, for

whatever reason, being squeezed in a crucible.

tor

INSIDE

Running Away to God

by SERGEI VENEVTSEV

I was born into a Russian family that had no use for God. But in high

school I had to take a class called History of Religions. The teacher, a

Muslim man, taught about most main religions, but he had more enthusi-

asm for Christianity and read quotations from the Bible and told us Bible

stories.

I decided religion might help me make sense out of life, so I began

searching different religions. I tried several different religions, but they left

my heart empty. It seemed they all were the same, saying I must earn favor

with God—whatever His name was—by my deeds. I did not need such a

religion; I needed answers to my questions.

Then I saw a TV program produced by Seventh-day Adventists called,

Waiting for the Second Coming. It caught my interest, and I thought, It

would be good to belong with these believers who live as a family. But I did

not know where to find these Adventists.

I started reading the New Testament, and though I did not understand

many things, I kept reading, for I found great peace. I began to pray, and to

my surprise, God answered. Then I broke up with my girlfriend. I prayed

again, but it seemed that this time God did not answer. Angry, I shook my

fist at God and shouted, “I do not need You. I will reach my goals myself!”

The results of my prayer came immediately. I had been a peaceful per-

son, but after I rebelled against God, I became hard and wanted revenge on

everyone who hurt me. I started drinking and fighting. Evil spirits entered

my life and our home. I began to think life was futile and not worth living.

Then a friend invited me to a Christian meeting. At first I refused to go,

then I changed my mind. I decided it would be my first and last time at a

Christian meeting. But once there, I was touched by the songs, the prayers,

and the Bible study. I could hardly wait for the next one. Within a year I had

surrendered my life to Christ.

After high school and my term in the army, I returned home to work as

a literature evangelist. Then God called me to serve as a Global Mission

pioneer in an area where there were no Adventists. The Lord blessed my

partner and me and led us to people who were searching for meaning in

life. In our first year nine people have been baptized and others are prepar-

ing.

I praise God for being patient with me, loving me, saving me, and allow-

ing me to serve Him.

SERGEI VENEVTSEV

lives in

yrnauz, Russia.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*October 13–19

The Birdcage

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Exodus 14, 15:22–27,

17:1–7, Proverbs 3, Luke 4:1–13, 1 Pet. 1:6–9.

Memor

y Text:

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a lit-

tle while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials”

(1 Peter 1:6, NKJV).

n the full light of day, and in hearing of the music of other voices,

the caged bird will not sing the song that his master seeks to teach

him. He learns a snatch of this, a trill of that, but never a separate

and entire melody. But the master covers the cage, and places it where

the bird will listen to the one song he is to sing. In the dark, he tries

and tries again to sing that song until it is learned, and he breaks forth

in perfect melody. Then the bird is brought forth, and ever after he can

sing that song in the light. Thus God deals with His children. He has

a song to teach us, and when we have learned it amid the shadows of

affliction we can sing it ever afterward.”—Ellen G. White,

The

Ministry of Healing, p. 472.

Notice that the one who carries the bird into the darkness is the mas-

ter himself.

It is easy to understand that Satan causes pain, but would God

Himself actively take a part in guiding us into crucibles where we

experience confusion or hurt?

The Week at a Glance:

What examples can you think of

in the Bible in which God Himself leads people into experiences

that He knows will include suffering? What do you think were the

new songs He wanted them to sing?

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 20.

SUNDAY

October 14

To the Promised Land Via a Dead End

“And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their

eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were

very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord”

(Exod. 14:10, NKJV).

Have you ever been set up, led into a trap or to a dead end?

Sometimes it can be nice, like walking unexpectedly into a room of

waiting friends who all shout “Surprise! Happy birthday!” At other

times it can be quite a shock, even a very unpleasant one. It may have

been bullies when you were at school or a work colleague who unex-

pectedly tried to make you look bad.

From the day the Israelites left Egypt until they reached the Promised

Land, “the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them

on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that

they could travel by day or night” (Exod. 13:21, NIV). Every part of

their journey was led by God Himself. But look at where He led them

first: to a place where the sea was before them, mountains were on

either side, and Pharaoh’s army was within eyesight right behind!

Read

Exodus 14. Why did God bring the Israelites to a place where

He knew they would be terrified?

____________________________________________________________________

Following “the pillar” doesn’t assure us of being happy all the time.

It also can be a hard experience, because training in righteousness

takes us to places that test our hearts, which are so naturally deceitful

(Jer. 17:9). During these difficulties, the key to knowing when we are

truly following God is not necessarily the absence of trials or pain but,

rather, an openness to God’s instruction and a continual submission of

our minds and hearts to His leading.

What

lesson did the Israelites learn from this experience? Exod. 14:31.

____________________________________________________________________

Why is trusting God sometimes so hard, even though we may

know many of the wonderful promises He has for us? Recount

some difficult situation you believe the Lord led you into in

order to teach y

ou to

“belie

e” in and to

“fear” Him.

MONDAY

October 15

Bitter Waters

“The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin,

traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They

camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to

drink” (Exod. 17:1, NIV).

We might surely not get from God everything we want, but can’t we

expect to get all that we need? Not what we think we need but what

we truly need?

There was one thing the Israelites certainly needed, and that was

water. Just after God led the Israelites through the Red Sea in the

cloud, they followed Him through the hot, waterless desert for three

days. Particularly in the desert, where finding water is so critical, their

desperation is understandable. When would they get the water they

needed?

So, where does God lead them? The pillar goes to Marah, where, at

last, there is water. They must have been excited. But when they tasted

the water, they immediately spat it out because it was bitter. “So the

people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What are we to drink?’ ”

(Exod. 15:24, NIV).

Then, a few days later, God does it again. This time, however, the

pillar actually stops where there is no water at all (Exod. 17:1).

Read

Exodus 15:22–27 and 17:1–7. What did God reveal to Israel

about Himself at Marah and at Rephidim? What lessons should

they have learned?

____________________________________________________________________

In Rephidim, what question did the children of Israel ask?

(Exod. 17:7). Have you ever asked the same question? If so, why?

How did you feel, and what lessons did you learn after you had

it answered? How many times do we need to get it answered

before we stop asking it altogether?

_____________________________________________________

TUESDAY

October 16

The Great Controversy in the Desert

“And Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the

Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being

tempted for forty days by the devil” (Luke 4:1, 2, NKJV).

Read

Luke 4:1–13. What lessons can you learn from this account

about how to overcome temptation and not give in to sin?

____________________________________________________________________

Temptations can be so difficult because they appeal to things we

really desire, and they always seem to come at our weakest moments.

Luke 4 is the beginning of the story of Jesus’ temptation by Satan,

and it brings some difficult issues to our attention. At first glance, it

appears that the Holy Spirit is leading Jesus into temptation. However,

God never tempts us

(James 1:13). Rather, as we have been seeing,

God does lead us to cr

ucibles of testing. What is striking in Luke 4 is

that the Holy Spirit can lead us to times of testing that involve our

being exposed to Satan’s fierce temptations. At such times when we

feel these temptations so strongly, we may misunderstand and think

we have not been following God correctly. But this is not necessarily

true. “Often when placed in a trying situation we doubt that the Spirit

of God has been leading us. But it was the Spirit’s leading that brought

Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. When God brings us

into trial, He has a purpose to accomplish for our good. Jesus did not

presume on God’s promises by going unbidden into temptation, nei-

ther did He give up to despondency when temptation came upon Him.

Nor should we.”—Ellen G. White,

The Desire of Ages, pp. 126, 127.

Sometimes when in the crucible we get burned rather than purified.

It is therefore very comforting to know that when we crumble under

temptation, we can hope again because Jesus stood firm. The good

news is that because Jesus is our Sin Bearer, because He paid the

penalty for our failure to endure that temptation (whatever it was),

because He went through a crucible worse than any of us will ever

face, we are not cast off or forsaken by God. There is hope, even for

the “chief ” of sinners

(1 Tim. 1:15).

What temptations are you facing now? Spend some time in

prayer, asking the Lord to teach you how to apply the lessons

from Jesus’ example in your own life. Remember, you don’t have

to succumb to temptation, ever! Remember, too, that you have a

Savior if you do.

WEDNESDAY

October 17

An Enduring Legacy

Read

1 Peter 1:6, 7. What is Peter saying?

____________________________________________________________________

Peter is writing to people who were battling through difficulties and

often felt very alone. He was writing “to God’s elect, strangers in the

world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and

Bithynia” (1 Pet. 1:1, NIV). This is the area we know today as western

Turkey. A few texts later, Peter says that he knows that they are expe-

riencing “grief in all kinds of trials” (vs. 6, NIV).

What

does he mean by saying that they are “strangers” and “scat-

tered”? How might that add to their trials?

____________________________________________________________________

Being a Christian during these times was a new thing; believers

were small in number and in various places where they were a decided

minority that was often misunderstood at best, persecuted at worst.

Peter assures them, however, that these trials are not random or

chaotic

(vss. 6, 7). Genuine faith is the goal of those who persevere

through “all kinds of trials.”

Read

1 Peter 1:6–9. What ultimate assurance does Peter seek to give

these people amid their trials? What does that hope mean for us too?

____________________________________________________________________

Whatever their trials, whatever they suffer, how can it be com-

pared to the eternity that awaits them when Christ returns?

Peter’s words to them are God’s words to us, regardless of what-

ever we are facing. However difficult or painful our trials, we

must never lose sight of the ultimate end, eternal life in a new

heaven and new earth, without pain, suffering, or death. With

such a promise before us, a promise guaranteed us through the

death of Jesus,

w impor

tant that w

e not lose faith but, instead,

amid our trials ask the Lord to purge us of everything and any-

thing that stands in the way of our faith.

THURSDAY

October 18

Trial by Fire

There was a young man. We’ll call him Alex. He had come out of a

very troubled youth: drugs, violence, even some time in jail. But then,

through the kindness of a local church member (whom Alex had

stolen from), Alex learned about God and gave his heart to Jesus.

Though he still had his problems and struggles, and though elements

of his past still lingered, Alex was a new person in Jesus. He loved

God and sought to express that love by obeying His commandments

(1 John 5:1, 2). At one point Alex felt impressed that he should be a

minister. Everything pointed to it. He was answering God’s call, no

doubt about it.

At college things went well at first. Then one thing after another

went awry, and his life began coming apart. His source of money

started to dry up; a close friend turned against him, making accusa-

tions about him that were false but that damaged his reputation. Next,

he kept on getting sick; no one knew what it was, but it impacted his

studies to the point where he was afraid that he was going to have to

drop out of school completely. On top of it all, he was fighting fierce

temptations with drugs, which were readily available in the local com-

munity. At one point he even fell in that area. Alex couldn’t under-

stand why all this was happening, especially because he was sure that

the Lord had led him to this school to begin with. Was Alex

wrong

about that? If so, was his whole experience with God a huge mistake?

en the most basic elements of his faith were coming under doubt.

Imagine

that, amid this crisis, Alex came to you and asked for

advice. What would you say? What experiences have you had that

could help someone like him? What Bible texts would you use?

How helpful might the following texts be in such a situation?

Proverbs 3, Jer. 29:13, Rom. 8:28, 2 Cor. 12:9, Heb. 13:5.

____________________________________________________________________

Almost all w

ho f

ollo

w the Lord have had crises during which

they’ve been tempted to doubt the Lord’s leading. The impor-

tant thing in such situations is to cling to the promises, recount

God’s leading in the past,

and pray for faith and endurance. The

Lord will never give up on us; it’s we who have to fight the temp-

tation to give up on Him.

FRIDAY

October 19

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, “The Exodus,” pp. 281–290;

“From the Red Sea to Sinai,” pp. 291–302, in Patriarchs and

Prophets;

“The Temptation,” pp. 114–123, in The Desire of Ages.

“But of old the Lord led his people to Rephidim, and he may choose

to lead us there also, to test our loyalty. He does not always bring us

to pleasant places. If he did, in our self-sufficiency we should forget

that he is our helper. He longs to manifest himself to us, and to reveal

the abundant supplies at our disposal, and he permits trial and disap-

pointment to come to us that we may realize our helplessness, and

learn to call upon him for aid. He can cause cooling streams to flow

from the flinty rock. We shall never know, until we are face to face

with God, when we shall see as we are seen, and know as we are

known, how many burdens he has borne for us, and how many bur-

dens he would have been glad to bear, if, with childlike faith, we had

brought them to him.”—Ellen G. White, “Rephidim,” Review and

Herald, April 7, 1903.

Discussion Questions:

● We often talk of temptation as an individual thing, which, of

course, it is. At the same time, are there any corporate tempta-

tions, things that we as a church or a local church family might

have to guard against as a group? If so, what?

● Have those who are willing talk about any of the “unpleasant

places” that they have been brought to. Why have they been

unpleasant? If they had to revisit them today, would they view

them differently?

● We all understand the principle behind God’s allowing us to

be purified and refined by trials. How, though, do we understand

the situation in which trials appear to have no value (for instance,

someone is killed instantly in a car wreck)? As a class, seek to

work through possible answers.

● As a class, take time together to pray for each other, that each

might be strengthened to endure trials and stay faithful.

● Does your class know of anyone who, having faced trials, lost

their way? If so, as a class what could you do in a very tangible

way to help lead that person back?

tor

INSIDE

Peace That Satisfies

by CHARLOTTE ISHKANIAN

Kozo and Yukari were rock musicians in Japan. In addition Kozo owned

a recording studio where many young bands came to make recordings.

Yukari wrote songs, many of which expressed a yearning for peace,

love, and freedom. The couple began to realize that the ideals they sang

about were missing from their lives, crowded out by counterfeits such as

drugs and free sex. They wanted real peace, real love, real freedom. They

wanted absolutes on which to build their lives, but they did not know

where to find them. They started searching in religion. The couple was

sure that a supreme Power, a Divine Person, existed somewhere in the uni-

verse. But how could they find Him?

They decided to explore Christianity, to open their hearts to Christ’s

teachings. Kozo and Yukari heard people talk about their faith and reli-

gious ideas, but they seldom talked about Jesus. Surely, they thought, there

must be a church that teaches about Jesus, that builds its faith on what the

Bible says.

The couple knew of the Adventist hospital in town, but they knew noth-

ing about the people who operated it. Yukari visited her neighbor, a

Seventh-day Adventist, and said, “Take me with you to your church.” The

neighbor gladly agreed.

Yukari found Adventists friendly and sincere. Their religion came

straight from the Bible, and their health teachings made sense to her. She

began attending the church, but Kozo hesitated. His biggest workdays

were Sabbath and Sunday. However, when he had no appointments, he

joined Yukari at church. Soon he was scheduling his work on other days

when possible.

Within weeks the couple placed their lives at Jesus’ feet, convinced that

He is God and their Savior. It took Kozo several months to overcome a

problem with alcohol, but soon after he did, they were baptized.

Kozo closed his recording studio, giving up the couple’s security. For

five years the couple lived on faith alone. Then Kozo was offered a job as

recording engineer at the Voice of Prophecy studio. Kozo and Yukari have

found the peace, love, and freedom they had searched for so long. They

found it at the foot of the Cross.

Japan has just 15,000 Adventist believers¸ only one believer for every

8,460 people in the country. Pray for the work in this great nation. Your

mission offerings will help reach the unreached there.

KOZO

and

YUKARI ABE

shar

e their faith in

okohama, J

apan.

CHARLO

TTE

ISHKANIAN

is editor

Mission.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*October 20–26

Seeing the Goldsmith’s

Face

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Job 23:1–10, Dan. 12:1–10,

Matt. 5:16, 25:1–12, 1 Cor. 4:9, Eph. 3:10, 4:11–16.

Memory Text:

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in

a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the

same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord”

(2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV).

my Carmichael took a group of children to a traditional gold-

smith in India. In the middle of a charcoal fire was a curved

roof tile. On the tile was a mixture of salt, tamarind fruit, and

brick dust. Embedded in this mixture was gold. As the fire devoured

the mixture, the gold became purer. The goldsmith took the gold out

with tongs and, if it was not pure enough, he replaced it in the fire with

a new mixture. But each time the gold was replaced, the heat was

increased. The group asked, “How do you know when the gold is puri-

fied?” He replied, “When I can see my face in it.”—Amy Carmichael,

Learning of God (Fort Washington, Pa.: Christian Literature Crusade,

1989), p. 50.

God is seeking to purify us, to refine us like gold, to transform us

into His image. That’s an astonishing goal, and it seems even more

astonishing that a Christlik

e character is de

veloped in us only as we

pass through life’s crucibles.

The Week at a Glance:

What r

ole does suffering ha

ve in

the purifying process? How do we understand all this in the con-

text of the great controversy?

*Study this week’s lesson to pr

epare for Sabbath, October 27.

SUNDAY

October 21

“In His Image”

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed

to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among

many brethren”

(Rom. 8:29, NKJV).

In the beginning, God made us in His image (Gen. 1:27), but that

image has been corrupted by sin.

what ways do we see this defacing of God’s image in humanity?

____________________________________________________________________

It’s obvious: We all have been corrupted by sin (Rom. 3:10–19). Yet,

God’s desire is to restore us to what we should have originally been.

This is where our text today fits in. It reveals God’s plan that for those

who submit their lives to the Holy Spirit, they may be “conformed to

the likeness of his Son”

(Rom. 8:29, NIV).

But there’s another dimension. “The very image of God is to be

reproduced in humanity. The honor of God, the honor of Christ, is

involved in the perfection of the character of His people.”—Ellen G.

White, The Desire of Ages, p. 671.

How

do you understand what Ellen White says to us in that quote?

See also Job 1, Matt. 5:16, 1 Cor. 4:9, Eph. 3:10.

____________________________________________________________________

As Christians, we must never forget that we are in the midst of a

cosmic drama. The great controversy between Christ and Satan is

unfolding all around us. The battle takes many shapes and is mani-

fested in many ways. And though much is hidden, we can understand

that, as followers of Christ, we have a part to play in this drama, and

we can bring honor to Christ through our lives.

Imagine being on the field of a huge stadium. Sitting in the

bleachers on one side are heavenly beings loyal to the Lord; on

the other side ar

e beings w

ho have fallen with Lucifer. If your

life for the past 24 hours was played out on that field, which side

would have more to cheer about? What does your answer tell

you about yourself?

MONDAY

October 22

Faith Amid the Refining Fire

It’s one thing to be in a battle; it’s another not even to see the forces

arrayed in that battle. In a sense, this is what we as Christians deal

with. We know that the forces are out there, we can feel them in our

lives, and yet, we have to press ahead in faith, trusting Him “who is

invisible”

(Heb. 11:27, NKJV).

Read

Job 23:1–10. What is the essence of Job’s struggle? What does

he not see? At the same time, what does he take on faith, despite

all his trials?

____________________________________________________________________

Even amid his terrible trials, Job trusted in the Lord. Despite every-

thing, Job was determined to endure. And one of the things that kept

him persevering was gold. Not a gold medal; rather, he was looking

into the future and realized that if he held on to God, he would come

out the better for it—he would come out like gold. How much Job

knew of what was happening behind the scenes, we aren’t told.

Regardless of how much was hidden from him, he endured the refin-

ing fire anyway.

Do you fear the fire? Do you worry about the heat that circum-

stances generate? Perhaps, as with Job, the heat of God seems unex-

plainable. It may be the difficulty of adjusting to a new job or a new

home. It could be having to survive ill treatment at work or even

within your own family. It could be illness or financial loss. Hard as

it is to understand, God can use these trials to refine you and purify

you and bring out His image in your character.

Being proven to be gold seems to be an incentive for Job here,

something to fix his eyes upon and that helps pull him through his

troubles. It’s a powerful testimony to his character already that, amid

all the pain and suffering, he was able to sense the reality of the puri-

fying process. Also, however much he didn’t understand, he knew that

these trials would refine him.

In your own experience, how do trials refine and purify? What

other ways could you be refined other than through suffering?

TUESDAY

October 23

Jesus’ Last Words

Jesus was in Jerusalem, about to die. According to Matthew’s

Gospel, Jesus’ last teaching hour before Passover is spent telling His

disciples parables, including the parables about the ten virgins and the

sheep and the goats. These stories are related to the way we should live

as we wait for Jesus to come. Thus their relevancy to today—with the

signs of Jesus’ soon return all around us—has never been more impor-

tant.

In the parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1–12), many commenta-

tors point out that the oil is a symbol for the Holy Spirit. Ellen White

agrees but also says that this oil is a symbol for character and that it is

something no one can acquire for us.

Read

the parable. In what ways does the meaning of the story

change, depending on whether you see oil as a symbol of the Holy

Spirit or for the possession of character? What are the implica-

tions of this story for you if the oil represents the Holy Spirit, or a

Christlike character?

Holy Spirit:

____________________________________________________________________

Character:

____________________________________________________________________

Read

the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31–46.

What criteria is used in separating the sheep and the goats?

____________________________________________________________________

Notice that the king separates the sheep and the goats based on

their works, their character. Though Jesus is not teaching salvation by

works here, we can see how important character development is in the

plan of salvation and how those who are truly saved by Christ will

reflect that salvation through their lives and characters.

It has been said that

“char

acter is what a person is in the dark.”

What sort of per

son ar

e y

ou w

hen no one is looking?

What does

that answer tell you about changes that need to be made?

WEDNESDAY

October 24

“The Wise”

Yesterday we looked at the importance of character for those wait-

ing for the Second Coming. Today we will look more specifically at

the importance of character for those who are alive at the second com-

ing of Jesus.

Read

Daniel 12:1–10. What is the context? What time in earth’s his-

tory is being referred to? Most important, what can we tell from

these texts about the character of God’s people alive at this time?

What characteristics are given them, in contrast to the wicked?

See also Rev. 22:11.

____________________________________________________________________

Daniel is told that just before Jesus comes, there will be a time of

distress unequaled at any other time of history. In verse 3 and verse 10

we’re given a depiction of the righteous and the wicked during this

time. Notice how the wicked “shall do wickedly”

(vs. 10, NKJV) in

contrast to the righteous, who in verse 2 shine brightly, perhaps

because they have been “purified, made spotless and refined”

(vs. 10,

NIV) during this “ ‘time of trouble, such as never was since there was

a nation, even to that time’” (vs. 1, NKJV). In contrast, too, the wicked

do not understand, but the righteous are “wise” and do understand.

Understand what? Math, science, higher criticism? Proverbs says

that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7,

NKJV). Perhaps, in this context, the “wise” are wise because they have

an understanding of these final events, the time of trouble, as it

unfolds. They are not taken by surprise; from their study of the Word,

they know it’s coming. And most important, they know enough to

allow this time of trouble to purify and refine them; the wicked, on the

other hand, are just made more obstinate in their rebellion and thus

continue in their wickedness.

The crucial point is that we here are given a depiction of a people

who have been through a refining and purifying process.

Though we’ve looked at these texts in the context of the very last

days, what principles do we see here that can help us now better

understand what the purifying and refining process is all about,

even for us today?

THURSDAY

October 25

Character and Community

A song goes like this: “I am a rock, I am an island.” Have you ever

felt like that? Wanting to stand alone? You may have even heard peo-

ple say, “Well, my walk with God is a private affair. It’s not something

I want to talk about.”

Read

Ephesians 4:11–16. What’s the point Paul is making here? What

role does he give here for community?

____________________________________________________________________

When Paul writes to the Ephesians, he describes the church as a

body. Jesus is the head, and His people make up the rest. If you look

at verse 13, you will notice the ultimate purpose of living in such a

community—it is to experience “the whole measure of the fullness of

Christ” (NIV). And for that we need each other!

It certainly is possible to be a Christian all alone. Indeed, like many

people through the centuries who have been ridiculed or persecuted,

standing alone is often unavoidable. It is a powerful witness to the power

of God that men and women do not buckle under the pressures that sur-

round them. However, while this is true, Paul is wanting to emphasize a

critical truth: The fullness of Christ is ultimately experienced and

revealed when we are working together in fellowship with each other.

today’s text, what does Paul say must happen before the fullness of

Christ may be revealed in our Christian community?

____________________________________________________________________

what way is the witness of a community revealing the fullness of

Christ different from an individual revealing the fullness of Christ?

What are the implications of this in the context of the great con-

troversy?

See Eph. 3:10.

____________________________________________________________________

It’s easy to be nice when you are by yourself or with strangers,

but it is much harder being nice to people you either know really

well or don’t like. This means that when we still show these peo-

ple grace and kindness, we provide an irresistible witness to the

truth about God.

FRIDAY

October 26

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, “God Promises Us a New

Heart of Flesh,” p. 100, in

Sons and Daughters of God; “To Meet the

Bridegroom,” pp. 405–421, in Christ’s Object Lessons; “The Time of

Trouble,” pp. 613–634, in The Great Controversy.

“Character building is the most important work ever entrusted to

human beings; and never before was its diligent study so important as

now. Never was any previous generation called to meet issues so

momentous; never before were young men and young women con-

fronted by perils so great as confront them today.”—Ellen G. White,

Education, p. 225.

“In the parable, the foolish virgins are represented as begging for oil,

and failing to receive it at their request. This is symbolic of those who

have not prepared themselves by developing a character to stand in a

time of crisis. It is as if they should go to their neighbors and say, Give

me your character, or I shall be lost. Those that were wise could not

impart their oil to the flickering lamps of the foolish virgins. Character

is not transferable. It is not to be bought or sold; it is to be acquired. The

Lord has given to every individual an opportunity to obtain a righteous

character through the hours of probation; but he has not provided a way

by which one human agent may impart to another the character which

he has developed by going through hard experiences, by learning les-

sons from the great Teacher, so that he can manifest patience under trial,

and exercise faith so that he can remove mountains of impossibility.”

—Ellen G. White,

The Youth’s Instructor, Jan. 16, 1896.

Discussion Questions:

● What does “character building” mean? How can you do this?

How much of a visible priority is character building within your

own life and your church community?

● Thursday’s study talked about the important role of community

in the life of a Christian. How well does your local church function

as the body of Christ? How well do you represent the Lord as a

community? As a class, talk about what you can do to improve.

● As a class, talk about the question of why character building is

important, even if we are saved by faith alone in Jesus. If His

righteousness, and His perfect character, are what saves us, then

what do we need to develop character for?

● Helen Keller, who was deaf and blind from an early age, wrote,

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through

experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened,

vision clear

ed,

ambition inspir

ed, and success achieved.”

—

Leadership, vol. 17, no. 4. Do you agree? Discuss the relation-

ships between character, suffering, and the great controversy.

tor

INSIDE

Midnight Taxi

by ILIYANA MARINKOVA

My husband and I live in Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria. We are get-

ting old; I am partially disabled, and my husband isn’t too well either. Late

one night we received a telephone call to come to my husband’s village

right away. There was a family problem. We got up and dressed and hur-

ried to catch the last tram that would take us to the edge of Sofia.

It was near midnight when we climbed off the tram and started to walk

the two and a half miles (four kilometers) to the village. You can imagine

what it looked like—these two old people hobbling along an empty road

in the middle of the night.

We got about halfway to the village and felt that we just could not go

any farther. We knew it was not safe to stay along the road, but we were

tired. We knelt down and asked God to help us get to the village. Then we

got up and started walking again. We heard car brakes behind us, and a car

rolled to a stop beside us. The driver rolled down his window and asked,

“Are you the people who called me to take you to Mirovyane?”

We were surprised, for we had no telephone with us to call anyone, but

this man knew that we were going to Mirovyane.

“Never mind,” he said in a gentle voice. “If you wish, get in and I will

take you to your destination.”

We climbed into this man’s car and rode to the village. The man said

nothing as he drove the short distance to the village. He stopped at a bus

stop in the village quite near our destination. We thanked the man and

climbed out, relieved that we did not have to walk those last two kilome-

ters. We started down the street toward our relatives’. Behind us we heard

the car tires squeal as the driver turned around. We turned to wave our

thanks, but the street was empty. We saw no taillights, no dust in the road

to indicate that a car had been there.

“He’s gone,” I told my husband. “He just disappeared.” I walked back to

where the man had let us off, but there was no sign of this man or his car.

We don’t know whether this man was an angel or a human sent by God

to rescue two tired old people from an isolated road on a dark night.

ILIYANA MARINKOVA

and her husband ar

e member

s of the Se

venth-day

Adventist Chur

h in

Sofia, Bulgaria.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*October 27–November 2

Extreme Heat

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This W

eek’s Study:

Genesis 22, Job 1:6–2:10,

Isa. 43:1–7, Hos. 2:1–12, 2 Cor. 11:23–29.

Memory Text:

“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has

put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He

shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of

the Lord shall prosper in His hand” (Isaiah 53:10, NKJV).

s the wife of the famous Christian writer C. S. Lewis was dying,

Lewis wrote, “Not that I am (I think) in much danger of ceasing

to believe in God. The real danger is of coming to believe such

dreadful things about Him. The conclusion I dread is not ‘So there’s no

God after all’, but ‘So this is what God’s really like.’ ”—

A Grief

Observed (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1961), pp. 6, 7.

When things become really painful, some of us reject God com-

pletely. For others like Lewis, there is the temptation to change our

view of God and imagine all sorts of bad things about Him. The ques-

tion is, Just how hot can it get? How much heat is God willing to risk

putting His people through in order to bring about His ultimate pur-

pose of shaping us into the “likeness of his Son”? (Rom. 8:29, NIV).

The Week at a Glance:

Why do you think God is willing

to risk being misunderstood by those He wants to know and love

Him? How much do you think God is willing to be misunderstood

in order to mold you into the “likeness of his Son”?

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 3.

SUNDAY

October 28

Abraham in the Crucible

Read

Genesis 22. Out of nowhere and without explanation, God sud-

denly calls Abraham to offer his own child as a burnt offering.

Can you imagine how Abraham must have felt? On a human level,

it was a totally revolting idea for a holy God to request that you

sacrifice your own son. On a spiritual level, even if Abraham

thought that this was acceptable, what about God’s promises of an

inheritance? Without his son, the promise would be gone.

Why

did God ask Abraham to offer this sacrifice? If God knows

everything, what was the point?

____________________________________________________________________

God’s request and its timing were not random. Indeed, the test was

calculated to exert the deepest possible anguish, for “God had

reserved his last, most trying test for Abraham until the burden of

years was heavy on him, and he longed for rest.”—Ellen G. White,

Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 147. Was this the test of a mad God? Not

at all, for “the agony which he endured during the dark days of that

fearful trial was permitted that he might understand from his own

experience something of the greatness of the sacrifice made by the

infinite God for man’s redemption.”—Page 154.

This was just a test—God never intended for Abraham to kill his

son. This highlights something very important about the way God

sometimes works. God may ask us to do something that He never

intends for us to complete. He may ask us to go somewhere He never

intends for us to arrive at. What is important to God is not necessarily

the end, but what we learn as we are reshaped by the process.

Jesus may have been thinking about Abraham’s experience when He

said to the Jews, “ ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of

seeing my day; he saw it and was glad’ ”

(John 8:56, NIV). Abraham

could have missed out on this insight, dismissing the instructions as

from Satan. The key to Abraham’s surviving and learning through the

whole process was his knowing God’s voice.

How do you know the voice of God? How do you know when

God is talking to you? What are the ways He communicates His

will to you?

MONDAY

October 29

Wayward Israel

The story of Hosea has some powerful lessons to teach us. Hosea’s

situation is remarkable. His wife, Gomer, runs away and has children

with other men. Though she is sleeping around, God calls Hosea to take

his wife back and fully show his love to her again. This story is meant

as a parable about God and Israel. Israel had left God and were prosti-

tuting themselves spiritually to other gods, but God still loved them and

wanted to show His love to them. But just look at God’s methods!

Read

Hosea 2:1–12. What methods does God say He will use to pull

Israel back to Himself? What would these experiences have felt

like?

vss. 2, 3

____________________________________________________________________

vss. 5–7

____________________________________________________________________

vss. 8, 9

____________________________________________________________________

vs. 10

____________________________________________________________________

This story raises two important issues about the way we experience

God when He is bringing us to repentance.

First, we risk not recognizing that God is at work. When Israel went

through such hard and painful experiences, it might have been hard for

them to recognize that their God was working for their salvation.

When our path is blocked by sharp thorns or we are walled in so we

don’t know where we are going

(vs. 6)—is this God? When our basic

necessities disappear or we are embarrassed (vss. 9, 10)—could our

Father be in the middle of it all? The truth is that whatever we feel,

God is always working to bring us to repentance, because He loves us

so very much.

Second, we risk misunderstanding God when He is at work. We may

recognize that God is at work, but we don’t like what He’s doing.

While we are feeling hurt and embarrassed, it is easy to blame God for

being cruel, for not intervening, or for not caring. But God is always

working to renew us through His covenant of love.

Read Hosea 2:14–23.

What does this passag

e reveal about God?

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if you have been running from

God in any ar

ea of y

our life. If you are convicted that you have

been, why wait to go through the crucible? What’s stopping you

from surrendering all to the Lord?

TUESDAY

October 30

Surviving Through Worship

Read

Job 1:6–2:10. What caused Job’s suffering?

There is something astonishing here. The angels come to see God,

and Satan comes with them. God asks Satan where he has been, and

Satan replies that he has been “ ‘roaming through the earth and going

back and forth in it’ ”

(vs. 7, NIV). Then God poses this question:

“ ‘Have you considered my servant Job?’ ” (vs. 8, NIV). The question

itself is not remarkable; what is remarkable is the One who asks it. It

isn’t Satan who points out Job as a subject for examination, but God.

Knowing exactly what is going to follow, God calls Job to Satan’s atten-

tion. Down on the earth, Job has absolutely no idea how hot his crucible

is about to become. And though it’s very clear that it is Satan, not God,

who causes Job’s suffering, it is also clear that it is God who gives His

explicit permission for Satan to destroy Job’s possessions, children, and

his own physical health. If God is giving permission for Job to suffer,

what difference does it make whether God or Satan is personally inflict-

ing the suffering? How can God be righteous and holy when He actively

allows Satan to cause Job such pain? Is this situation a special case, or

is it characteristic of the way God still deals with us today?

Job 1:20, 21, how does Job respond to the trials?

____________________________________________________________________

It is possible to respond to such suffering in two ways. We can

become bitter and angry, turning our backs on a God we believe to be

cruel or nonexistent, or we can hang on to God more tightly. Job deals

with his catastrophe by staying in God’s presence and worshiping Him.

In Job 1:20, 21, we see three aspects of worship that may help when

in anguish. First, Job accepts his helplessness and recognizes that he

has no claim to anything: “ ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

and naked I will depart’ ”

(vs. 21, NIV). Second, Job acknowledges

that God is still in total control: “ ‘The Lord gave and the Lord has

taken away’ ” (vs. 21, NIV). Third, Job concludes by reasserting his

belief in the righteousness of God. “ ‘May the name of the Lord be

praised’ ” (vs. 21, NIV).

Going through a trial? Follow the steps that Job used. How

might they help you as well?

WEDNESDAY

October 31

Surviving Through Hope

“We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure,

so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the

sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on our-

selves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Cor. 1:8, 9, NIV).

As God’s chosen apostle, Paul had endured more than most people.

Yet, Paul was not crushed. Rather, he grew in his praise for God.

Read his list of hardships in 2 Corinthians 11:23–29. Now read

2 Corinthians 1:3–11.

verse 4, Paul states that the reason for receiving God’s compassion

and comfort is “so that we can comfort those in any trouble with

the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (NIV). To what

extent might suffering be a call to ministry? How could we become

more alert to this possibility?

____________________________________________________________________

God wants to minister through us to hurting people. This means that

He may first allow us to experience the same sort of hurts. Then we’ll

offer encouragement, not from theory but from our own experience of

the compassion and comfort of God. This is a principle from Jesus’

life

(see Heb. 4:15).

Paul’s vivid descriptions of his hardships are not to make us feel

sorry for him. They are for us to know that even when we’re in the

depths, the Father still can intervene to bring His compassion and

comfort. We may despair even of our own lives, and even be killed, but

fear not, God is teaching us to rely on Him. We can trust Him, for our

God “raises the dead”

(2 Cor. 1:9, NIV).

As Paul continues to set his eyes on proclaiming the gospel, he

knows that God will rescue him in the future as well. Paul’s ability to

remain firm is supported by three things he mentions in 2 Corinthians

1:10, 11. First, God’s proven track record: “He has delivered us from

such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us”

(vs. 10, NIV). Second,

Paul’s determination to fix his concentration on God Himself: “On

him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us” (vs. 10,

NIV). Third, the saints’ continual intercession: “as you help us by your

prayers” (vs. 11, NIV).

What can you learn from Paul that can help you from falling

into self-pity amid your own struggles?

THURSDAY

November 1

Extreme Heat

So far this quarter, we have considered many examples of the cru-

cibles that God uses to bring purity and Christlikeness to our lives.

However, some people may view these examples and conclude that

God is a severe and demanding taskmaster. Sure, some may say, “We

know that God wants something good for us, but these examples don’t

reveal much care and love. Instead, God looks more like a bully. He

sets out on a purpose that causes us considerable hard times, and

there’s nothing we can do about it.”

It’s true that while living on this sin-filled earth, we will understand

only a little of why things happen. In heaven we’ll understand so much

(1 Cor. 4:5, 13:12), but for now we will have to live with the ten-

sion of believing that God is present and caring for us, even though

things don’t always feel too good. Isaiah describes this tension very

well.

Read Isaiah 43:1–7. In verses 2 and 3, God says that His people will

pass through waters and through fire. These are figurative of extreme

dangers, but perhaps they hint at the crossing of the Red Sea and the

Jordan, both fearful times but times that paved the way to a new life.

You may expect that God might say that He would protect His people

from these dangers, that He will guide them along an easier route. But

like the Shepherd in Psalm 23, He rather says that when the difficult

times come, God’s people need not be overwhelmed—for He is with

them.

Look

back at Isaiah 43:1–7. Write down the different ways in which

God assures His people of comfort during the times of water and

fire. What picture of God does this paint in your mind? Which

promises can you claim for yourself?

____________________________________________________________________

We could summarize what we have learned about God’s crucibles in

three ways. First, God’s extreme heat is to destroy not us but our sin.

Second, God’s extreme heat is not to make us miserable but to make

us pure, as we were created to be. Third, God’s care for us through all

things is constant and tender—He will nev

er leave us alone, no mat-

ter what happens to us.

What do these texts teach you about the actions and character

of God? Ps. 103:13, 14; Matt. 28:20; 1 Cor

. 10:13; 1 Pet. 1:7.

have you experienced the r

eality of these v

ses in your own life?

FRIDAY

November 2

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, “The Test of Faith,” pp. 145–

155, in Patriarchs and Prophets; “Praise Ye the Lord,” pp. 315–319, in

Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5.

“God has always tried His people in the furnace of affliction. It is in

the heat of the furnace that the dross is separated from the true gold of

the Christian character. Jesus watches the test; He knows what is

needed to purify the precious metal, that it may reflect the radiance of

His love. It is by close, testing trials that God disciplines His servants.

He sees that some have powers which may be used in the advancement

of His work, and He puts these persons upon trial; in His providence

He brings them into positions that test their character. . . . He shows

them their own weakness, and teaches them to lean upon Him. . . . Thus

His object is attained. They are educated, trained, and disciplined, pre-

pared to fulfill the grand purpose for which their powers were given

them.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 129, 130.

“If in the providence of God we are called upon to endure trials, let

us accept the cross and drink the bitter cup, remembering that it is a

Father’s hand that holds it to our lips. Let us trust Him in the darkness

as well as in the day. Can we not believe that He will give us every-

thing that is for our good?. . . Even in the night of affliction how can

we refuse to lift heart and voice in grateful praise, when we remember

the love to us expressed by the cross of Calvary?”—Ellen G. White,

Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 316.

Discussion Questions:

● In class, have someone recount his or her own test of faith such

as Abraham had. What can you learn from this person’s experi-

ence, from his or her successes or failures?

● Review the last 24 hours of Christ’s life. What extremes did He

face? How did He endure? What principles can we take from His

example and apply for ourselves when in the midst of our own

crucible?

● Discuss the idea, touched on this week, about how through our

own suffering we can minister to others who are suffering.

However true it might be, what are some of the problems we

might encounter with this idea?

● Ellen White wrote above: “Let us trust Him in the darkness as

well as in the da

”

That’

s easier said than done

. How can we help

each other develop the kind of faith that will enable us to do just

that? Why is it important to trust God in the bad times?

tor

INSIDE

God Saved Me Twice

by KIZITO KYAKULAGA

Before I knew God, He knew me and saved me. I was studying in a gov-

ernment secondary boarding school near my town in Uganda. At the end

of the year I was preparing for my O-level exams when I became very sick.

The nurse put me in a spare room to rest, and I fell asleep.

As I slept, the candle the nurse had left fell over, catching the room on

fire. I awoke smelling smoke but was too weak to even stand, but some-

one rushed in and pulled me from the burning room. Everything in the

room was burned, but I was saved.

I was still ill when I took my exams, but when the results came back I

had passed. Later I received a letter from Bugema Secondary School,

offering me a scholarship to study the A level, the college entrance level.

I was so happy, because my parents could not afford to send me on to

school.

But when I arrived at Bugema, I discovered that the school was Seventh-

day Adventist. Students worshiped on Saturday, but Sunday was a workday.

We had worship every morning and even had Bible class every day! This

was too much religion for me! I thought about going home, but I decided

to stick it out. Soon I realized it wasn’t so bad after all. Teachers helped

me understand what the Bible meant, and I learned more in a week than I

had learned in a year in my home church.

During the Week of Prayer I gave my life to Jesus. I had attended church

all my life, but no one had ever invited me to accept Jesus as my Lord. I

was baptized later in the year, but I did not tell my parents right away, for

I feared they would be angry.

When I did tell my parents, they were not so angry, just disappointed.

My father threatened to withhold the small allowance he had been send-

ing me to buy soap and stuff, but Mother saw to it that I still received it.

My mother listens when I talk to her about what I believe, and I invite her

and my younger sister to attend church with me. I hope someday my little

sister can study at Bugema and find there what I found—a relationship

with Jesus.

Your mission offerings support schools such as Bugema Secondary

School and Bugema University in Uganda. Your faithfulness helped intro-

duce me to Jesus. Thank you.

KIZITO KYAKULAGA

w studies at Bug

ema Univer

sity in Ug

anda.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*November 3–9

Struggling With All

Energy

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This W

eek’s Study:

Genesis 32; Matt. 5:29;

John 16:5–15; Col. 1:28, 29; 1 Pet. 1:13.

Memory Text:

“To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy,

which so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:29, NIV).

man and woman sat together on a talk show. Both had experi-

enced the murder of a child. The woman’s son had been mur-

dered 20 years before, and her anger and bitterness were as

great as ever. The man was totally different. His daughter had been

murdered by a terrorist a few years earlier. He spoke about forgiveness

toward the killers and about how God had transformed his hurt.

However terrible the pain, this man had become an illustration of how

God can bring healing to the darkest moments of our lives.

How can two people respond so differently? How does spiritual

change occur in the life of the Christian, enabling us to mature

through life’s crucibles rather than being completely overwhelmed by

them?

The Week at a Glance:

What is the role of our wills, and

willpower, in the battle with self and sin? How can we avoid the

trap of letting our feelings rule the decisions we make? Why must

we persevere and not give up when in the crucible?

*Study this week’s lesson to pr

epare for Sabbath, November 10.

SUNDAY

November 4

The Spirit of Truth

Have you ever prayed, “Please, God, make me good!” but little

seems to change? How is it possible that we can pray for God’s great

transforming power to work within us, but our lives seem to remain

the same? We know that God has unlimited supernatural resources

that He so eagerly and freely offers us. We really want to take advan-

tage of it all, and yet, our lives don’t seem to change in a way that

matches what God is offering.

Why? One reason is disturbingly simple: While the Spirit has

unlimited power to transform us, it is possible to restrict by our own

choices what God can do.

Read

John 16:5–15. In this passage, Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the

“Spirit of truth” (vs. 13, NIV). What does this imply that the Holy

Spirit does for us?

____________________________________________________________________

While the Holy Spirit can bring us the truth about our sinfulness, He

cannot make us repent. He can also show us the greatest truth about

God, but He cannot force us to believe or obey it. If God did compel

us in even the slightest way, we would lose our free will, and Satan

would accuse God of manipulating our minds and hearts and thus be

able to accuse God of cheating in the great controversy. When the

great controversy broke out in heaven, our Father did not compel

Satan or any of the angels to believe that He was good and just or

compel the angels to repent. And in the Garden of Eden, when so

much was at stake again, God made the truth about the tree in the mid-

dle of the Garden very clear but did not prevent Eve and Adam from

exercising their free will to disobey. God will not act any differently

with us today. So, the Spirit presents the truth about God and sin and

then says, “In view of what I have shown you, what will you do now?”

It is the same when we are in the crucible. Sometimes the crucible

is there precisely because we have not obeyed or repented of our sins.

For our Father to work in such cases, we must consciously choose to

open the doors of repentance and obedience in order for God’s power

to enter through and transform us.

What convictions has the “Spirit of truth” brought to you

recently? How well are you listening to His voice? And, most

important, what choices are you making with your free will?

MONDAY

November 5

The Divine-Human Combination

What is your greatest accomplishment ever? Chances are, whatever

you achieved did not happen simply by rolling out of bed in the morn-

ing. If we want to achieve something worthwhile in this life, it takes

time and effort. Our discipleship to Christ is no different.

Read

Colossians 1:28, 29. Though Paul talks about God working in

him, in what ways does he show the human effort also involved?

See also Deut. 4:4, Luke 13:24, 1 Cor. 9:25, Heb. 12:4.

____________________________________________________________________

In Colossians 1:29 there is a very interesting insight into the way

Paul sees his relationship with God in this work. He says that he is

struggling—but with the power of God.

The word for “labor” means to “grow weary,” to “work to the point

of exhaustion.” This word was used particularly of athletes as they

trained. The word for “struggle,” which comes next, can mean in some

languages “to agonize.” So, we have the word picture of an athlete

straining with everything to win. But then Paul adds a twist to the

idea, because Paul is not straining with everything he has but with

everything that God gives him. So, we are left with a simple conclu-

sion about Paul’s ministry—it was a ministry done with great personal

effort and discipline but done with God’s power. This relationship

works in exactly the same way as we pursue the development of

Christ’s character in us.

This is important to remember because we live in a world in which

we want more and more with less and less effort. That idea has crept

into Christianity, too. Some Christian evangelists promise that if you

just believe, the Holy Spirit will fall upon you with amazing super-

natural power and perform great miracles. But this can be a dangerous

half-truth, because it can lead people to the conclusion that we just

need to wait for God’s power to come while sitting comfortably in our

seats!

What is your own experience with the kind of striving Paul

talked about? What things has God laid upon your heart that

you are struggling with? How can you learn to surrender to

God’s will?

TUESDAY

November 6

The Disciplined Will

One of the greatest enemies of our wills is our own feelings. We are

increasingly living in a culture bombarded with pictures and music

that can appeal directly to our senses, triggering our emotions—anger,

fear, or lust—without us realizing it. How often do we think such

things as “What do I feel like eating for supper?” “What do I feel like

doing today?” “Do I feel good about buying this?” Feelings have thus

become intimately involved in our decision-making. Feelings are not

necessarily bad, but how I feel about something may have little to do

with what is right or best. Indeed, our feelings can lie to us (“The heart

is deceitful above all things”

[Jer. 17:9].) and can create a false pic-

ture of reality, causing us to make bad choices, setting us up for a cru-

cible of our own making.

What

examples can you find from the Bible where people made choices

based on feelings rather than on God’s Word? What were the con-

sequences? See, for example, Gen. 3:6; 2 Sam. 11:3, 4; Gal. 2:11, 12.

____________________________________________________________________

Read

1 Peter 1:13. What is Peter concerned about, and what does he

want his readers to actually do?

____________________________________________________________________

Peter understood that the mind is the rudder for the body that we

control. Take away the control of the mind, and we will be controlled

by whatever feelings blow our way. Imagine walking along a narrow

path to the Shepherd’s home. Along the way there are many paths

leading in different directions. Some of these paths go to places that

we would not want to visit. Others look tempting; they appeal to our

feelings, our emotions, our desires. If, though, we take any one of

them, we get off the right path and go in a way that might be exceed-

ingly difficult to get off.

What important decisions are you facing? Ask yourself hon-

estly, “How can I know if I am basing my choices on feeling,

emotion, or desire, as opposed to the Word of God?”

WEDNESDAY

November 7

Radical Commitment

“If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it

away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for

your whole body to be thrown into hell”

(Matt. 5:29, NIV).

Dwell

on the words of Jesus in the above text.Would you call them radi-

cal? If so, why?

____________________________________________________________________

Radical action is necessary not because God has made the Christian

life difficult, but because we and our culture have drifted so far away

from God’s plans for us. People often wake up and wonder to them-

selves, “How could I have gone so far away from God?” The answer

is always the same: just one step at a time.

Read Matthew 5:29, 30. Jesus is speaking in the context of sexual

sin. However, the underlying principles apply to dealing with other

sin, as well. Indeed, the principles can apply to our growth in Christ in

general.

What

crucial point is Jesus telling us with those words? Are we really

called to literally maim ourselves?

____________________________________________________________________

Jesus isn’t calling us to physically harm our bodies—not at all!

Rather, He is calling us to control our minds and therefore our bodies,

no matter the cost. Notice that the text does not say that we should

pray and that God will instantly remove the sinful tendencies from our

lives. Sometimes God may graciously do this for us, but often He calls

us to make a radical commitment to give up something, or start doing

something, that we may not feel like doing at all. What a crucible that

can be! The more often we make the right choices, the stronger we

will become and the weaker the power of temptation in our lives.

God sometimes uses crucibles to catch our attention when there are

so many noisy distractions around us. It is in the crucible that we real-

ize how far we have drifted from God. The crucible may be God’s call

for us to make a radical decision to retur

n to our Father’s plan for us.

THURSDAY

November 8

The Need to Persevere

Read

the story of Jacob wrestling with God (Genesis 32). What does

this story say to us about perseverance, even amid great discour-

agement? (Keep the whole context of Jacob’s situation in mind

before you answer.)

____________________________________________________________________

We can know what is right and exercise our wills to do the right

thing; but when we are under pressure, it can be very difficult to keep

holding on to God and His promises. That’s because we are weak and

fearful. Therefore, one of the important strengths of the Christian is

perseverance, the ability to keep going despite wanting to give up.

One of the greatest examples of perseverance in the Bible is Jacob.

Many years before, Jacob had tricked his brother, Esau, and his father

into giving him the birthright (Genesis 27), and ever since, he had

been running in fear of Esau’s desire to kill him. Even though he had

been given wonderful promises of God’s guidance and blessing in his

dream of a ladder reaching to heaven (Genesis 28), he was still scared.

Jacob was desperate for God’s assurance that he was accepted and that

the promises made to him many years before were still true. As he

fought someone who was actually Jesus, Jacob had his hip dislocated.

From that point on, it could not have been possible to fight, as the pain

would have been too excruciating. There must have been a subtle shift

from fighting to hanging on. Jacob is hanging on to Jesus through

unbearable pain until he receives an assurance of his blessing. So

Jesus says to him, “ ‘Let me go, for it is daybreak’ ”

(Gen. 32:26,

NIV).

Jacob’s blessing came because he held on through the pain. So it is

with us. God may also dislocate our “hip” and then call us to hang on

to Him through our pain. Indeed, God allowed the painful scars to

continue—Jacob was still limping when he met his brother. To outside

appearances it was a weakness, but for Jacob it was an indication of

his strength.

What are some practical choices you can make (associations,

lifestyle, reading material, health habits, spiritual life) that will

help you better persevere with the Lord amid discouragement

and temptation?

FRIDAY

November 9

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, “The Night of Wrestling,”

pp. 195–203, in Patriarchs and Prophets; “Consecration,” pp. 43–48,

in Steps to Christ.

“This will, that forms so important a factor in the character of man,

was at the Fall given into the control of Satan; and he has ever since

been working in man to will and to do of his own pleasure, but to the

utter ruin and misery of man.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the

Church, vol. 5, p. 515.

“In order to receive God’s help, man must realize his weakness and

deficiency; he must apply his own mind to the great change to be

wrought in himself; he must be aroused to earnest and persevering

prayer and effort. Wrong habits and customs must be shaken off; and

it is only by determined endeavor to correct these errors and to con-

form to right principles that the victory can be gained. Many never

attain to the position that they might occupy, because they wait for

God to do for them that which He has given them power to do for

themselves. All who are fitted for usefulness must be trained by the

severest mental and moral discipline, and God will assist them by

uniting divine power with human effort.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs

and Prophets, p. 248.

Discussion Questions:

● To what extent do you think that we appreciate that our wills

were “at the Fall given into the control of Satan”? How, by focus-

ing on the character of Jesus, can we better appreciate just how

fallen we are and how great God’s grace is toward us?

● Read the story of Jesus in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36–43). What

were Jesus’ own feelings and desires, as opposed to God’s will?

What can we learn from this example?

● As a class, talk about the distinct things in your own culture

that can work to break down our defenses and leave us more vul-

nerable to Satan’s attacks. What can we do to help other church

members be aware of these dangers, as well as help those who feel

the need for help?

● Do you know someone in your church who hasn’t been there

for quite a long time, who might be getting ready to give up or

has already given up? What can you do as a group to encourage

this person, to help him or her not tur

n a

y fr

om Jesus? What

practical things can you do to help?

tor

INSIDE

Fighting for Faith

by ELIZABETH MURMU

I live in Bangladesh. I learned early in life that if I wanted something, I

had to fight for it. And I wanted an education.

My father did not want me to study. He wanted me to work in people’s

homes and help the family. But I wanted to learn. Sometimes I hid outside

the nearby school to listen to the teacher’s lessons.

My elder sister, Sharoni, lived with an uncle who sent her to school. In

high school, she studied at Bangladesh Adventist Seminary and College

(BASC). There she became a Seventh-day Adventist, which angered my

parents. But Sharoni would not budge, and in time my parents allowed her

to return home. Sharoni found work as a tutor and helped the family finan-

cially.

My parents were set against Sharoni’s religion. She challenged them to

study the Bible with her and tell her where Adventists were wrong. In time

they realized that Sharoni was right, but they refused to change their reli-

gion.

Sharoni knew that the local school could not provide the quality of edu-

cation we children needed and urged my parents to send us to Adventist

schools. My father refused, so Sharoni decided to send us to study in an

Adventist school herself. When Father still refused, Sharoni told him,

“You do not have to pay a single rupee for their education. I will pay it all.”

Finally Father and Mother allowed my two sisters and me to study at

BASC, the Adventist school Sharoni had attended.

I stayed at BASC through eighth grade, when Sharoni transferred us to

another Adventist school to study. She became dean of women at this

school and could look after us there.

When each child in our family was ready to start school, Sharoni took

them to study at the Adventist school. Several more brothers and sisters

now study here. Only my youngest brother is

still at home with our parents. Soon he will

come to study at the Adventist school. Each

of us has given our hearts to Jesus, and when

we are old enough, we will be baptized.

Thank you for your mission offerings,

which help make Adventist education possi-

ble in my country. It has made a big differ-

ence in my family!

ELIZABETH MURMU

(left) is studying at Maranatha

venth-day

Adventist School in Bangladesh.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

I saw hundr

eds of people in India ﬂock to evangelistic meetings and step

forward to accept Jesus as their Savior. My heart was touched as I

thought of the lives forever changed and the joy these people would

ﬁnd as Christians. But they will face difﬁcult times, too, especially those

whose families reject their new faith.

And most of these new believers have no church to welcome them. They

are the church! In many places we have no schools where these new

believers can send their children to receive a Christian education.

Membership growth is wonderful, but it’s up to us to see that they have

the tools they need to grow, such as a simple chapel, a school for their

children, a pastor or teacher. I’m glad our Thirteenth Sabbath Offering

will help provide for some of the fastest growing areas of this division.

For me it’s personal.

L ESSON

*November 10–16

Indestructible Hope

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This W

eek’s Study:

Job 38–41, Isa. 41:8–14,

Jer. 29:1–10, Hab. 1:1–4, Heb. 12:1–13.

Memory Text:

“And hope does not disappoint us, because God

has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom

he has given us” (Romans 5:5, NIV).

hen in church surrounded by smiling people, how easy it is

to talk and sing about hope. But when we find ourselves

within the crucible, hope does not always seem so easy. As

circumstances press around us, we begin to question everything, par-

ticularly the wisdom of God.

In one of his books, C. S. Lewis writes about a make-believe lion.

Wanting to meet this lion, a person asks if the lion is safe. They’re told

that he’s not safe, “but he’s good.”

Even though we don’t always understand God and He seems to do

unpredictable things, that doesn’t mean that God is against us. It sim-

ply means that we don’t have the full picture yet. But we struggle with

the idea that for us to have peace, confidence, and hope, God must be

understandable and predictable. He needs to be, in our thinking,

“safe.” As such, we set ourselves up for disappointment.

The Week at a Glance:

How does our understanding of

the character of God help us maintain hope in the crucible?

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 17.

SUNDAY

November 11

The Big Picture

When we are hurting, it is very easy to presume that what happens

to us is the only thing that matters. But there is a slightly larger pic-

ture than just “me” (see Rev. 12:7, Rom. 8:22).

Read

Habakkuk 1:1–4. What did Habakkuk face?

____________________________________________________________________

You might expect that God would say something like “That’s really

terrible, Habakkuk; let Me come and help you immediately.” But

God’s answer is the opposite. He tells Habakkuk that it is going to get

worse. Read this in Habakkuk 1:5–11.

Israel had been taken into captivity by the Assyrians, but God prom-

ises that worse is coming: The Babylonians will now carry away the

people of Judah. Habakkuk cries out again in verses 12–17, and then

waits to see what God is going to say.

How

does God’s introduction to the promised destruction of Babylon

in Habakkuk 2:2, 3 bring hope?

____________________________________________________________________

Habakkuk 2 is God’s promise of the destruction of the Babylonians.

Hebrews 10:37 quotes Habakkuk 2:3, hinting of a messianic applica-

tion to this promise in the future. With the same certainty that the

destruction of Babylon was promised, so we also have the certainty of

the destruction of “Babylon the Great”

(Rev. 18:2, NIV).

Habakkuk was trapped between the great evil surrounding him and

God’s promise of worse to come. Yet, this is precisely where we find

ourselves in salvation history. Great evil is around us, but the Bible

predicts that much worse is to come. The key to Habakkuk’s survival

was that he was brought to see the whole picture. Therefore, in chap-

ter 3 he is able to pray an incredible prayer of praise because of what

God will do in the future.

Read Habakkuk 3:16–19. What does Habakkuk identify as his

reasons for hope? What is the hope of God’s people as we wait

for the last pr

ophetic scenes to unf

old? How can you make this

hope your own?

MONDAY

November 12

Who Our Father Is

Oswald Chambers writes, “Have you been asking God what He is

going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is

going to do; He reveals to you who He is.”—

My Utmost for His

Highest (Uhrichsville, Ohio: Barbour & Company, Inc., 1963), Jan. 2.

What

do you think Chambers means by this idea?

As we know, the book of Job begins with great personal tragedy for

Job. He loses everything, except his life and his wife, and she suggests

that he “ ‘curse God and die!’ ” (Job 2:9, NIV). What follows is a dis-

cussion in which his friends try to work out why it has all happened.

Throughout all of these discussions, God remains silent.

Then suddenly in Job 38 God appears and speaks: “ ‘Who is this

that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?’ ” (vs. 2,

NIV). Without pausing, God asks Job about 60 jaw-dropping ques-

tions. Open your Bible and scan through these in Job 38 and 39.

After the last question, Job replies, “ ‘I am unworthy—how can I

reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have

no answer—twice, but I will say no more’ ”

(Job 40:4, 5, NIV). But

God is not finished. He then begins again and asks another set of

“big” questions in succession.

Read

Job’s final response in Job 42:1–6. What was God trying to tell

Job, and what was the effect on him?

God never answers any of the “why” questions of Job’s friends. But

God does paint a picture of His unparalleled greatness as revealed

through the astonishing works of creation. After this, Job certainly

does not need any answers. The need for explanations has been

eclipsed by an overwhelming picture of the magnificence of God.

This story reveals a fascinating paradox. Hope and encouragement

can spring from the realization that we know so little. Instinctively, we

try to find comfort by knowing everything, and so we become dis-

couraged when we cannot know. But sometimes God highlights our

ignorance so that we may realize that human hope can only find secu-

rity in a Being much g

reater than ourselv

es.

Are things that you just can’t understand happening now? If so,

focus on the character of God. How can doing that give you the

hope that you need to persevere through what’s for now incom-

prehensible?

TUESDAY

November 13

Our Father’s Presence

“ ‘For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right

hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you’ ”

(Isa. 41:13,

NIV).

Someone once said, “When God seems far away, who is the one

who has moved?” When problems strike, we presume that God has

deserted us. The truth is that He hasn’t gone anywhere.

God’s presence seemed very far away to the Jews in exile. Yet,

through Isaiah God assures them of future deliverance. However,

while the actual return to Jerusalem was still many years in the future,

God wanted His people to know that He had not moved away from

them and that there was every reason for hope.

Read

Isaiah 41:8–14. What reasons for hope can you identify for peo-

ple waiting eagerly for future deliverance? How does this promise

help us as we wait for our exile on earth to end?

____________________________________________________________________

One of the most powerful images in these texts is found in verse 13.

The sovereign God of the universe says that His people do not need to

fear, because He is the One who takes “ ‘hold of your right hand’ ”

(NIV). It is one thing to imagine God guiding events on earth from a

big throne light-years away from our earth. But it is an altogether dif-

ferent picture to realize that He is close enough to hold the hands of

His dearly beloved people.

When we are busy, it can be hard to remember that God is so close

to us. But when we do remember that He is Emmanuel, “God with us,”

it makes such a difference. When God’s presence is with us, so are His

purposes, His promises, and His transforming power.

Over the next few days, try an experiment. At every moment

possible, try to remind yourself that the God of the universe is

close enough to you to hold your hand and is personally prom-

ising you help. Keep a record of how this changes the way you

live. Be prepared to discuss your experience in class on Sabbath.

WEDNESDAY

November 14

Our Father’s Plans for Us

Everyone is looking for hope. But from where is it found? For some

people, hope is found in the smile of a friend. For others, hope grows

from financial security or a stable marriage. Where do you normally

look for hope and courage?

____________________________________________________________________

In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet is writing to people who had

lost hope in their exile. “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept

when we remembered Zion”

(Ps. 137:1, NIV). But even though they

are heartbroken, Jeremiah lays out reasons why they should not give

up hope.

What

reasons for hope are given in Jeremiah 29:1–10?

____________________________________________________________________

In this passage, there are three important sources of hope worth

highlighting.

First, God tells His people that they should not give up hope,

because their situation is not the result of chance or unpredictable evil.

For God Himself says, “I carried [Judah] into exile from Jerusalem to

Babylon”

(vs. 4, NIV). Though evil seems to surround them, Judah has

never left the center of God’s hands.

Second, God tells His people that they should not give up hope,

because He can work even within their present difficulties. “ ‘Also,

seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you

into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will

prosper’ ”

(vs. 7, NIV).

Third, God tells His people that they should not give up hope,

because He is going to bring an end to their exile at a specific time.

“This is what the Lord says: ‘When seventy years are completed for

Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring

you back to this place’

”

(vs. 10, NIV).

After God explains how He was in charge of their past, is in charge

of their present, and will be in charge of their future, He then beauti-

fully conveys His tender care for His people (see vss. 11–14).

Read verses 11–14,

ying y

our name after the w

you, as if God

is making these promises to you personally. Apply these promises

to yourself in whatever your present struggles might be.

THURSDAY

November 15

Our Father’s Discipline

Read

Hebrews 12:5–13. What’s the message to us here, and how does

it fit in with what we have been studying this quarter?

____________________________________________________________________

In Hebrews 12:5–13, the author describes trials in the context of

discipline. In the NIV Bible translation, the word discipline appears

nearly ten times. In the Greek world, this word was the most basic

word for education. So to understand discipline is to understand how

God educates us in the school of faith that the author has been describ-

ing before in Hebrews 11.

Throughout Hebrews 11, the author has been painting pictures of

men and women of faith. Their faith was what kept them going when

they were faced with all sorts of trying situations. As we enter chap-

ter 12, the author turns to us, the readers, and says that since so many

people have persevered against incredible odds before us, we also can

run and finish the life of faith. The key is to fix our eyes upon Jesus

(vs. 2) that He may be an example when times are difficult (vs. 3).

Reading chapter 12 is like being given a set of reading glasses.

Without these glasses our vision or understanding of hardship will

always be fuzzy. But if we look through these glasses, it will correct

the blurred explanation of suffering that our culture presses upon us.

Then we will be able to understand clearly and be able to respond to

trials intelligently.

Read

through the “glasses” of Hebrews 12:1–13. Now concentrate on

verses 5–13. What is

the source of discipline?

____________________________________________________________________

our response to discipline?

____________________________________________________________________

the goal of discipline?

____________________________________________________________________

Read through Hebr

ws 12:1–13 ag

ain. Make a list of all the rea-

sons you can identify with as grounds for hope. How have you

experienced this hope in your own times of spiritual “education”?

FRIDAY

November 16

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, “The School of the Hereafter,”

pp. 301–309, in Education; “Help in Daily Living,” pp. 470, 471, in The

Ministry of Healing.

“Into the experience of all there come times of keen disappointment

and utter discouragement—days when sorrow is the portion, and it is

hard to believe that God is still the kind benefactor of His earthborn

children; days when troubles harass the soul, till death seems prefer-

able to life. It is then that many lose their hold on God and are brought

into the slavery of doubt, the bondage of unbelief. Could we at such

times discern with spiritual insight the meaning of God’s providences

we should see angels seeking to save us from ourselves, striving to

plant our feet upon a foundation more firm than the everlasting hills,

and new faith, new life, would spring into being.”—Ellen G. White,

Prophets and Kings, p. 162.

Discussion Questions:

● Ellen White says that “all” of us experience times of “keen dis-

appointment and utter discouragement.” How well do we notice

each other as we go through such times? How can we better learn

to be agents of hope for each other when we experience such bit-

ter disappointments?

● As a class, go over your answers to Tuesday’s final question.

What difference did it make in your life as you kept the reality of

God’s nearness ever before you?

● In class, read aloud sections in Job 38–41. What kind of pic-

ture of God does it present? What do you learn that gives you

hope and encouragement? How does the Sabbath fit into this pic-

ture? How does it help keep before us the nature and character

of God?

● Hope that transforms comes from heaven. This means that we

can pray for hope to be brought into each other’s lives. Spend some

time praying for those whose hope has been faltering recently, that

their hope may be renewed. More than that, what can you do for

others who are in a losing struggle with hope?

● If someone is willing, ask that person to recount a time when

despair and trials caused him or her to lose hope and faith. What

turned that per

son ar

ound? What can we share with one another

that can help when we are in times of doubt and despair?

tor

INSIDE

The Lost Bank Card

by SHARON BRUNTON AND YUAMB

It was Friday afternoon, and Yuamb, a literature evangelist, stood in line

at the bank in Papua New Guinea, waiting to withdraw money for bus fare

to return home. She reached into her bag to take out her bank card, but it

was not there. She found a Bible promise card instead. Worried, she

removed everything from her purse, but her bank card was not there.

Frustrated, she complained to God. “Lord, how can You let this happen

to me on Friday afternoon? I have no money to get home, and there is no

time to sell books to earn some money for bus fare.” She read the prom-

ise card she held in her hand. “A righteous man may have many troubles,

but the Lord delivers him from them all”

(Ps. 34:19, NIV).

Yuamb bowed her head again and asked God what He wanted her to do.

Then she began walking. She passed several shops and turned down a side

street. She stopped before a nightclub, then stepped in, not sure who she

would meet there or what she would say.

A young girl named Joyce greeted Yuamb as she entered. Yuamb intro-

duced herself as a literature evangelist, and the woman invited her to sit

down. Soon Yuamb was showing Joyce the books she had with her. “Are

you an Adventist?” Joyce asked. Surprised, Yuamb answered that she was.

Joyce explained that she had once been an Adventist. She bought a

book, which provided Yuamb’s bus fare. “Please come back on Monday,”

Joyce asked, “and bring

The Desire of Ages and The Great Controversy.”

Yuamb left that nightclub rejoicing that God had led her to this hungry

soul in a place she might never have entered. Yuamb returned on Monday

with the books Joyce had asked for. Joyce introduced Yuamb to Roslyn,

who also bought several books, and several other young women in the club

who enrolled in Bible studies.

When Yuamb returned to visit her new friends several weeks later, one

girl complained that her copy of

The Desire of Ages had been stolen. She

ordered two more copies. Three months later the owner of the nightclub

turned the club into a restaurant, and is giving the girls Sabbaths off to

worship. Joyce and Roslyn and another friend are attending the Adventist

church in their area.

Yuamb praises God for her lost bank card that led her to lost souls

searching for truth.

SHARON BRUNTON

is a missionary in P

apua Ne

w Guinea.

AMB

is a liter

atur

e e

vang

elist

living in Lae, Papua New Guinea.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*November 17–23

Seeing the Invisible

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read

for This Week’s Study:

Isa. 40:27–31, John 14:1–14,

Rom. 8:28–39, Eph. 1:18–23.

Memor

y Text:

“By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the

wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible”

(Hebrews 11:27, NKJV).

he definition of faith in the book of Hebrews is always chal-

lenging. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and cer-

tain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1, NIV). How can we be

sure about what we do not see? Yet, this is exactly what Moses illus-

trates in our memory text: “He persevered because he saw him who is

invisible” (vs. 27, NIV).

It is even more challenging to realize that we are called to see “him

who is invisible” not simply when times are good but especially when

everything is going wrong. For this we need faith, a Christlike faith

that must be shaped by the truth about God and God’s kingdom. The

truth about our Father’s goodness, the power in the name of Jesus, the

power of the resurrection, and the compassion of God are essential

truths that will enable us to stand strong when we are in the crucible

and may be tempted to doubt everything.

The Week at a Glance:

What truths a

bout God can help

sustain us through even the worst situations?

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 24.

SUNDAY

November 18

Our Father’s Extravagance

“If God really loved me, He would certainly do _______

____________ for me!” I wonder how many times that thought has

flickered through our minds. We look at our circumstances and then

begin to wonder whether God really loves us, because if He really did,

things would be different.

There are two rationales that often lead us to doubt God’s goodness.

First, when we have a burning desire in our hearts and minds for

something that we believe is good, the idea that God might want

something different for us may seem ridiculous. Second, we may

doubt God’s goodness because our experience clashes with what we

believe. If something looks good or feels good or sounds good or

tastes good, then it must be good. And so we get angry with God when

we can’t have it.

This is where faith comes into play. Faith comes into action pre-

cisely at those times we are tempted to doubt God and His goodness.

Romans

8:28–39 is a powerful passage that describes the goodness

of God toward us. What reasons can you find in the text that can

guard our minds against doubting God’s goodness?

____________________________________________________________________

In verse 32 there is an important piece of logic that is extremely

helpful in guarding us from becoming overwhelmed by our circum-

stances. “If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us,

embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by send-

ing his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely

do for us?” (The Message). How could we possibly think that God

would send Jesus to die for us and then turn mean and stingy?

This means that the truth of God’s generosity to us, seen in the death

of Christ, must have a stronger impact in our thinking than all of the

doubts that the crucible may generate inside us.

How is it possible for a truth (God’s goodness) to have a more

powerful effect on you than your doubts? Spend some time medi-

tating on the truth that God has given Jesus to die in your place

and that this incredible generosity continues in a thousand dif-

ferent ways for you today. What does this do for your faith?

MONDAY

November 19

In the Name of Jesus

“ ‘If you ask anything in My name, I will do it’ ” (John 14:14,

NKJV).

Jesus was not going to be with the disciples much longer. The One

who had been their support and encouragement was going to heaven,

and the disciples were beginning to feel confused and powerless. But

although the disciples would not be able to physically see Him any

longer, Jesus gave them a remarkable promise.

Read John 14:1–14. According to verses 13 and 14, Jesus promises

to do for us “anything” that we ask in His name. Because of this, we

almost always add onto the end of our prayers, “In Jesus’ name,

amen.”

When

we say this, what do we normally think it means? What does

Jesus mean when He encourages us to pray like this? What clues

are there in these verses that help us to understand the point He’s

making?

____________________________________________________________________

When our request is “in the name of Jesus,” we can be certain that

the whole machinery of heaven is at work on our behalf. We may not

see the angels working all around us. But they are—sent from the

throne of heaven in the name of Jesus, to fulfill our requests.

Sometimes when we pray in the name of Jesus, we open our eyes

and expect everything to be different around us—but it all looks the

same. However, while the power of God may come with dramatic

effect, as when Jesus calmed the storm, it may also come in quietness,

unnoticed, as when the power of God sustained Jesus in Gethsemane.

Something dramatic may not suddenly happen, but that doesn’t mean

that God is not at work for us.

Read again John 14:1–14. As you read, imagine that Jesus is

talking directly to you, face to face. What hope and encourage-

ment can you draw from these promises? At the same time, ask

yourself, “What things in m

y life could be standing in the w

of having these promises fulfilled for me? What changes must I

purpose in my heart to do?”

TUESDAY

November 20

The Power of the Resurrection

The Resurrection addresses the problem of human powerlessness.

When we think about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we

often think about how the death of Jesus was the event that made us

legally right with God. And that is, of course, true.

However, the Resurrection adds a specific dimension to salvation.

The resurrection of Jesus is meaningful not just because it shows us

that one day we will be resurrected, as well. The Resurrection placed

Jesus at the right hand of the Father in a position of power and author-

ity. This resurrection power is the same power that God makes avail-

able for us today!

Ephesians 1:18–23, Paul talks about the power of God. What does

this text teach us about the power of the Resurrection? What hope

and promises for yourself can you find in these verses?

____________________________________________________________________

Paul is praying that the Ephesians understand a few things that can

be understood properly only with divine help: (1) that there is the hope

of transformation and an eternal future to which Jesus has called us;

(2) that we understand the power that was manifested in our behalf.

Paul then tries to describe how astonishing this power is. The power

that is available to us today is the same power that resurrected Jesus

not just out of the ground and back to life but to the place of power at

the Father’s right hand.

But Paul doesn’t stop there. The Resurrection didn’t simply give

Jesus just any sort of power but the power to rule and provide every

possible thing His people could ever need—for all eternity!

Make a list of the areas in your life where you need the power of

the resurrected Jesus. When you have finished, pray that this

power will be applied to all these areas of need. At the same

time, what can you do better, what choices can you make, that

can allow this power to work more freely in your life?

_____________________________________________________

WEDNESDAY

November 21

To Carry All Our Worry

There is a plaque that some people have in their homes that reads

“Why pray when you can worry?” It makes us laugh because we know

how often we worry rather than come to God and give Him our con-

cerns.

Someone once said that when our life becomes all tied up, give it to

God and let Him untie the knots. How God must long to do this for

us. Yet, amazingly we manage to hang on to our problems until we are

about to snap. Why do we wait until we are desperate before we go to

the Lord?

Read

1 Peter 5:7. Peter is quoting Psalm 55:22. What’s the basic mes-

sage here for us? See also Matt. 6:25–33.

____________________________________________________________________

It is a very simple text. There is no secret hidden in it, and it means

exactly what it says. To cast means to do just that, to throw, to give

away, so that what is causing the aching and the concern no longer has

any connection to you. But, of course, our burdens are not just thrown

anywhere. Our worry does not disappear into a void. It is given to our

Father in heaven, who promises to sort it out. That’s what Jesus is

telling us in the verses in Matthew. The problem in doing this is not

that it’s hard; rather, it’s that it just seems too easy, too good to be true.

Anxiety is caused by all sorts of reasons. It could be pressure from

work. Unexpected criticism. Feeling that we are unwanted or unloved.

Health or financial worries. Feeling that we are not good enough for

God. Believing that we are not forgiven.

Whatever they are, one reason why we hang on to our problems is

that we think we can sort them out better than anyone else. But Peter

urges us to reconsider any such idea. The reason we don’t have to

worry is that God cares. But does God still care enough to intervene

when a divorce is looming or we feel totally useless? The Bible says

that He cares enough to transform any situation.

What are things that cause you worry now? However legitimate

they are, however troublesome they are, is there anything too

hard for the Lord? Maybe our biggest problem is that even

though we believe that God knows about it and can fix it, we

don’t believe that He will resolve it the way we would like it

resolved. Dwell on that last point and ask yourself how true it is

in your own life

THURSDAY

November 22

Still Faithful When God

Cannot Be Seen

To think that no one cares about what is happening to us is very

unpleasant. But to think that God does not know or care about us can

be most distressing.

To the Judeans exiled in Babylon, God did not seem to care much

about their situation. They were still exiled, still feeling abandoned by

God because of their sin. But Isaiah speaks words of comfort to them.

Isaiah 40 is a beautiful passage in which Isaiah speaks so tenderly to

the people about their God: “He tends his flock like a shepherd: he

gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he

gently leads those that have young” (vs. 11, NIV). But after so long,

the exiles were thinking, Where are You, O Lord? We can’t see any evi-

dence that You are still there—or care!

Read

Isaiah 40:27–31. In what ways does Isaiah describe God? How

is this description of God meant to answer their belief that “ ‘My

way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my

God?’ ” (vs. 27, NIV).

____________________________________________________________________

Another group of people who might have considered that their way

was hidden from God is found in the book of Esther. In this book, God

is not mentioned even once. However, the whole story is an unfolding

drama of God’s intervention to save His people from an irrevocable

law to have them destroyed. Not only does this story describe the

events of the past, but it symbolizes a time in the future during which

God’s people will again be persecuted and a law again introduced for

their destruction

(Rev. 13:15). Can you imagine how easy it would be

to conclude that if such terrible circumstances were existing, God

must surely have deserted His people? But we are not to fear. The

same God who saved His chosen ones in the story of Esther will save

them again in the final crisis.

We have read how Isaiah described God to the exiles. How

would you describe God to people who felt that God had disap-

peared and abandoned them? How would you teach them to see

through the eyes of faith and not be dependent on what they see

around them with their human eyes?

FRIDAY

November 23

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, “In the Days of Queen

Esther,” pp. 598–606, in

Prophets and Kings.

“Has not God said He would give the Holy Spirit to them that ask

Him? And is not this Spirit a real, true actual guide? Some men seem

afraid to take God at His word, as though it would be presumption in

them. They pray for the Lord to teach us and yet are afraid to credit the

pledged word of God and believe we have been taught of Him. So long

as we come to our heavenly Father humbly and with a spirit to be

taught, willing and anxious to learn, why should we doubt God’s ful-

fillment of His own promise? You must not for a moment doubt Him

and dishonor Him thereby. When you have sought to know His will,

your part in the operation with God is to believe that you will be led

and guided and blessed in the doing of His will. We may mistrust our-

selves lest we misinterpret His teachings, but make even this a subject

of prayer, and trust Him, still trust Him to the uttermost, that His Holy

Spirit will lead you to interpret aright His plans and the working of His

providence.”—Ellen G. White,

Manuscript Releases, vol. 6, p. 225.

“Faith grows strong by coming in conflict with doubts and oppos-

ing influences. The experience gained in these trials is of more value

than the most costly jewels.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the

Church,

vol. 3, p. 555.

Discussion Questions:

● As a class, talk about the kinds of things we believe in that we

do not see, things that we know are real yet are beyond our sight.

How can this help us understand what it means to see “Him who

is invisible”?

● Discuss the final question found at the end of Wednesday’s les-

son. How often do we find ourselves in that situation? What can

we do that will better enable us to trust that the Lord’s way is the

best, even if it’s not what we want?

● If “faith grows strong by coming in conflict with doubts and

opposing influences” and this leads to something extremely valu-

able—“of more value than the most costly jewels”—how should

this shape the way we look at such conflicts?

tor

INSIDE

Faithful Above All

by JEAN RÉNÉ SI SI

It is difficult being the only Adventist in my family, but God has gently

showed me how to honor His holy commandments, especially the

Sabbath.

I am studying in a technical school in Cameroon, and some of the tests

fell on Sabbaths. The teachers gave me a zero for missed exams. Then one

of our final exams was scheduled for Sabbath. I knew if I missed that

exam I would have to take the entire year over. But I was determined to

honor God’s Sabbath.

I did not tell my parents about the Sabbath exam, but my classmates

knew. And when I did not come for the exam, they went to my house to

find out where I was. When my parents learned that I had skipped an exam

and would have to take the year over, they were upset.

I repeated the entire year of school, and exams again fell on Sabbath.

My teachers and principal asked me if I would sit for the exam that year,

and I told them that I would not take any exam on Sabbath. I would trust

in God to help me, and if I failed again, so be it. One teacher rescheduled

his exams for another day, but other teachers asked, “How can religion be

so important as to jeopardize your future?” I told them I trusted that God

would work out the details so that I could pass the course.

The second year one of the final exams was scheduled for Sabbath. I felt

pressure to take the exam, so on Sabbath morning I hurried out of town so

that I would not be tempted to take the exam.

When the exam results were posted, I did not want to look at the results,

for surely I had failed. But the school called me in for another reason, and

I heard that I had passed. I was amazed! Even the teacher was amazed and

asked how I could have passed when I had not taken two of the exams. I

told the teacher that God had done it.

“Your God is very powerful,” the teacher confided. “In all my years of

teaching I have never seen such a thing happen.”

My parents are not yet interested in how God is blessing me, but my

brother and sisters are. My brother has taken his stand for God, and two of

my sisters are studying the Bible with me.

I praise God for helping me remain faithful in difficult times.

Your mission offerings teach young people how to remain faithful to

God in difficult times. Thank you for your faithfulness.

JEAN RÉNÉ SI SI

lives in

aoundé, Camer

oon.

Produced by the General Conf

erence Office of Ad

ventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*November 24–30

A Life of Praise

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This W

eek’s Study:

Josh. 5:13–6:20, 2 Chron.

20:1–30, Psalm 145, Acts 16:16–34, Phil. 4:4–7.

Memory Text:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:

Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, NIV).

t’s always easy to shout with joy to the Lord when we feel joy. It’s

not so easy, however, when things are bad, when we are in the

worst situations imaginable, when the crucible tightens. Yet, it’s

precisely then that we need, perhaps, more than ever to praise God, for

praise is a means of helping us sustain faith.

Indeed, praise can transform even our darkest circumstances, maybe

not in the sense of its changing the facts around us, but in the sense

that it can change us, and those around us, in a way that helps us face

challenges.

Praise is faith in action. It may not always be natural to us, but when

we practice praise so that it becomes a natural part of our lives, it has

the power both to convert and conquer.

The Week at a Glance:

What is praise? How could praise

be such a powerful spiritual weapon in difficult circumstances?

How can praise transform us and the situation around us?

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 1.

SUNDAY

November 25

Framework for Praise

The great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevski had been sentenced to

death, only to have the sentence commuted at the last moment. He

spent years in prison instead. Talking about his prison experience, he

wrote: “Believe to the end, even if all men go astray and you are left

the only one faithful; bring your offering even then and praise God in

your loneliness.”

In these lessons we have already seen how Paul endured incredible

opposition and persecution. But now he is sitting in a Roman prison.

But he is not depressed; instead, he is eagerly writing to encourage the

believers in Philippi!

Read

Philippians 4:4–7. How do you think Paul could have written

such things when he himself was sitting in a prison? What are the

keys in this verse to gaining the “peace of God”?

____________________________________________________________________

It is one thing to rejoice when everything is going well. But Paul

exhorts us to rejoice always. That may sound strange. If we take what

Paul writes literally, there are two critical implications for us.

First, if we are to rejoice always, it must mean that we should be

rejoicing even when circumstances do not appear to give any grounds

for rejoicing. Second, if we are to rejoice always, it must also mean

that we are going to have to learn to rejoice at times when we do not

feel like it.

Paul is calling us to praise God even though many times it may

seem quite unnatural to us. It may even seem unreasonable. But as we

will see, it is precisely because there are times where it appears unrea-

sonable that we are called to rejoice. In other words, praise is an act of

faith. Just as faith is based not on our circumstances but rather on the

truth about God, so praise is something we do, not because we feel

good, but because of the truth of who God is and what He has prom-

ised us. And amazingly, it is such faith that begins to shape our

thoughts, feelings, and circumstances.

What is the truth about God that Paul identifies in today’s

text—truth that enables him to rejoice, even in prison? Write

down a short list of what you know to be the truth about God.

Go through the list and pr

aise God for each item. How does this

change the way that you feel about and view your circum-

stances?

MONDAY

November 26

Praying Down Walls

There’s an expression in English: “to be painted into a corner.”

Imagine painting the floor of a room but then realizing that you have

wound up in a corner and cannot get out—except by walking over the

fresh paint. You have to stay there until it dries!

Sometimes our faith seems to paint us into a corner. We arrive at a

situation, and, like the wet paint on the floor, our faith “traps” us. We

look at the situation and either have to reject God, faith, and every-

thing we have believed in, or our faith compels us to believe what

appears impossible.

God brought the Israelites to a corner. After they had wandered for

40 years in the wilderness, God did not lead His people to empty,

peaceful grasslands. God led them to one of the most strongly forti-

fied cities in the whole area. Then they had to walk around Jericho in

silence for six days. On the seventh day God told them to shout—and

that shouting, together with the trumpets, would bring victory.

Read

Joshua 5:13–6:20. What is God trying to teach the Israelites?

____________________________________________________________________

Shouting loudly was not going to cause vibrations to trigger the

walls to collapse. When God called the Israelites to “shout,” it was the

same type of shouting that David writes about in Psalm 66: “Shout

with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his

praise glorious!”

(vss. 1, 2, NIV). This shouting was praise! After six

days of looking at the huge walls, they must have concluded that they

hadn’t a chance of breaking them down themselves.

How

does this idea help us understand the meaning of Hebrews 11:30?

____________________________________________________________________

When God is on the verge of doing something new in our lives,

He may bring us to a Jericho, for He may need to teach us that

the power to triumph does not come in our own strength and

strategies. Everything we need comes from outside ourselves. So,

no matter what is in front of us, no matter how insurmountable

it may seem, our role is to praise God—the source of everything

we need. This is faith in action.

TUESDAY

November 27

The Life of Praise

Praising the Lord might not be natural to us, even in good circum-

stances. Thus, how much more difficult to do it in bad ones? Yet, that

is what we are called to do. Praise is something that must be practiced

until it changes from being an activity done at a particular time to an

atmosphere in which we live. Praise shouldn’t so much be a specific

act but a specific way of life itself.

Read

Psalm 145. What are the reasons David gives for praising God?

In what ways should the words of this psalm be your own?

____________________________________________________________________

The great British preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote a book

called The Practice of Praise. It is based on verse 7 of today’s psalm.

In this short verse, Spurgeon calls our attention to three important

things that can help in developing praise in our lives.

1. Praise is practiced as we look around us. If we do not look

around us to see the greatness of God, we will have no reason to praise

Him. What can you see in the created world that is praiseworthy, such

as the beauty of God’s creation? What can you see in the spiritual

world that is praiseworthy, such as the growing faith in a young

Christian?

2. Praise is practiced as we remember what we have seen. If we

want to live in an atmosphere of praise, we must be able to recall the

reason for it. In what ways can we remember the great things about

God, so that His goodness and the truth about Him do not slip from

our minds (such as developing new rituals or symbols that remind us

of His goodness)?

3. Praise is practiced as we talk about it. Praise is not something

that we do in our heads. It is meant to come out of our mouths, to be

heard by those around us. What reasons can you think of to praise God

verbally? What will the effect of such praise be, and on whom?

Take a pen and some paper and spend some time working

through these three points.What can you do to develop the habit

of praise in your life?

WEDNESDAY

November 28

A Witness Who Convicts

In the book of Acts, praise had an astonishing effect on those who

heard it. Read Acts 16:16–34. Having been stripped and beaten hard,

Paul and Silas were thrown into prison. No one was there to put oint-

ment on their badly cut and bruised backs. In great physical pain and

with their feet in stocks, they were placed in the darkness of the inner

prison. But as the other prisoners sat listening, Paul and Silas begin to

pray and sing.

After the earthquake, and after the jailer had discovered that neither

Paul nor Silas nor any of the other prisoners had escaped, he “fell

trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked,

‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ ”

(vss. 29, 30, NIV).

Why

did this event cause the jailer to focus on his own need of salva-

tion? What role do you think Paul’s and Silas’s prayers and songs

played in the prisoners’ not running away, and in the conversion of

this man and his whole family?

____________________________________________________________________

It is amazing to think that our praise can transform the eternal des-

tinies of those around us. If Paul and Silas had sat in the dark mum-

bling and complaining as prisoners often do, do you think anyone

would have been saved that night?

We don’t know what happened to the jailer and his family later on,

but can you imagine them reading the words that Paul later wrote from

another prison in Rome: “For it has been granted to you on behalf of

Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you

are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that

I still have”

(Phil. 1:29, 30, NIV). If they did read this and reflected on

how Paul’s suffering had brought them joy, it surely must have brought

a song to their hearts and a fresh challenge to remain faithful, no mat-

ter the cost.

Who do you think could be inf

luenced for God by a song of

praise that could come from your heart? Make a concerted

effort to be more open and effusive in your praise to God

around others. You don’t know the positive effect it could have.

THURSDAY

November 29

A Weapon That Conquers

Read 2 Chronicles 20:1–30. As Jehoshaphat discovered, praise is a

powerful weapon. After receiving the report that a “vast army” was

coming against him, Jehoshaphat did not immediately jump to mili-

tary action but “resolved to inquire of the Lord”

(vs. 3, NIV). As the

people of Judah came to Jerusalem for a fast, Jehoshaphat admitted

the reality of the situation, saying that “ ‘we have no power to face this

vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes

are upon you’ ” (vs. 12, NIV).

When

you see a “vast army” approaching, what is your instinctive

reaction? From Jehoshaphat’s response in verses 3–12, what can

you learn about dealing with overwhelming opposition?

____________________________________________________________________

As the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, he boldly announced:

“ ‘ “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand

firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and

Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face

them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you” ’” (vs. 17, NIV). After

that, they worshiped God and sang praises to Him “with very loud

voice”

(vs. 19, NIV). Even though God was going to fight for them,

they still had to go out to face the enemy.

But this was no ordinary march to war. Jehoshaphat appointed a

choir to sing praises to the Lord as they marched out. “As they began

to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon

and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were

defeated”

(vs. 22, NIV). According to the author, God intervened at

the very moment they exercised their faith in His promise, as they

began to “praise him for the splendor of his holiness” (vs. 21, NIV).

Read through the texts for today again. What spiritual princi-

ples can you find there that can be applied to your own walk

with God, especially in times of trial and stress?

_____________________________________________________

FRIDAY

November 30

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, “Jehoshaphat,” pp. 190–203,

in Prophets and Kings; “The Fall of Jericho,” pp. 487–498, in Patriarchs

and Prophets.

“Then let us educate our hearts and lips to speak the praise of God

for His matchless love. Let us educate our souls to be hopeful and to

abide in the light shining from the cross of Calvary. Never should we

forget that we are children of the heavenly King, sons and daughters

of the Lord of hosts. It is our privilege to maintain a calm repose in

God.”—Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 253.

“And while I adore and magnify Him, I want you to magnify Him

with me. Praise the Lord even when you fall into darkness. Praise Him

even in temptation. ‘Rejoice in the Lord alway,’ says the apostle; ‘and

again I say, Rejoice.’ Will that bring gloom and darkness into your

families? No, indeed; it will bring a sunbeam. You will thus gather

rays of eternal light from the throne of glory and scatter them around

you. Let me exhort you to engage in this work, scatter this light and

life around you, not only in your own path, but in the paths of those

with whom you associate. Let it be your object to make those around

you better, to elevate them, to point them to heaven and glory, and lead

them to seek, above all earthly things, the eternal substance, the

immortal inheritance, the riches which are imperishable.”—Ellen G.

White,

Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, pp. 593, 594.

Discussion Questions:

● What role does community praise have in the life of the

Christian? How would you describe the praise in your Sabbath

services? Is it uplifting? Does it encourage members to maintain

faithfulness amid trial and trauma? If not, what can be done?

● What does it mean to “praise the Lord even when you fall into

darkness” or to “praise Him even in temptation”? How can

praise help us through these situations?

● Let members give testimonies on how praise has affected their

lives. What can you learn from each other’s experiences?

● As a class, pick a psalm of praise and spend time reading it.

What does it teach you about praise? What impact does praise

have on your faith?

tor

INSIDE

When God Calls

by SAROJINI CHEDALAWADA

Seetharathnam once sang chants to idols in a temple in India. She was a

medicine woman, treating people with sicknesses to devil possession by

tying strings on their arms and chanting healing mantras.

One day she received a New Testament. She was curious about this

Christian God named Jesus. So one night she locked the doors and closed the

windows of her home and started to read the New Testament. She laid the

New Testament next to her pillow and went to sleep.

Suddenly she was awakened by a bright light flooding her room. She did

not know where the light came from. Then she saw a man dressed in bright

white Indian garb standing in the light. He said, “Seetharathnam, will you

believe in Me completely?”

She asked, “Who are You that I should believe in You?” As the Man stood

before her, she realized that this was Jesus. “Yes, Lord, I will believe in You,”

she said.

The next day Seetharathnam visited her niece, who was a Christian. “I saw

Jesus in a dream last night. I would like to talk to your pastor.”

Seetharathnam began attending her niece’s church.

One day Pastor Prasada Rao, an Adventist pastor, visited Seetharathnam.

She did not want to speak with another pastor, so Pastor Rao gave her some

Bible texts to read and invited her to contact him if she had any questions.

Soon Seetharathnam contacted the pastor to ask about the Sabbath. Pastor

Prasada Rao explained the Sabbath and other Bible truths.

Seetharathnam wanted to know more, so the pastor arranged to hold meet-

ings in her village. Following the meetings Seetharathnam was baptized into

the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Filled with the Spirit of God, Seetharathnam is a powerful witness for the

Lord, ministering to the poor and sick, praying for them and nursing the sick

back to health. She has raised up a church of more than thirty believers.

Fearlessly she tells others about her Jesus, who called her out of idol worship.

Now when people come to Seetharathnam for healing, she tells them that

she is a Christian and does not chant the mantras anymore. “But I will pray

for you,” she says.

Many people in Seetharathnam’s village have found the joy that Jesus

brings. Their transformation shows on their faces as they worship God each

Sabbath.

Mission offerings make it possible for thousands in India and around the

world to hear the gospel and come to Christ.

SAROJINI CHEDALAWAD

lives near Seattle

ashington. She and her husband activel

y sup

port ministry in India.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*December 1–7

Meekness in the

Crucible

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Exod. 32:1–14, Ps. 62:1–8,

Ezek. 24:15–27, Matt. 5:43–48, 1 Pet. 2:18–25.

Memory Text:

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the

earth” (Matthew 5:5, NIV).

e don’t hear the word meek used much, except maybe when

reading about Moses or studying the Beatitudes. It’s not

hard to figure out why, either. Meekness is defined as

“enduring injury with patience and without resentment.” No wonder

we don’t hear much about it; it’s hardly a trait well respected in cul-

ture today. Sometimes the Bible translates this word as “humble.”

Again, humility isn’t a character trait seen as desirable by most cul-

tures, either.

But meekness, enduring injury with patience and without resent-

ment, is one of the most powerful characteristics of Jesus and His fol-

lowers. And yet, it’s not an end in itself: Meekness of spirit can be a

powerful weapon in the hands of those who are in the midst of pain

and suffering. Indeed, the crucible is a great place to learn meekness

of heart, for through our own meekness and broken places we can be

powerful witnesses for God.

The Week at a Glance:

What is the r

elationship betw

een

suffering and meekness? Ho

w can w

, in our own meekness and

broken places, be a witness to others? How can meekness really be

a strength, not a weakness, for the Christian?

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 8.

SUNDAY

December 2

Broken Bread and Poured-Out Wine

Oswald Chambers has said that we are to become “broken bread

and poured-out wine” for others. What do you think he means by

this?

____________________________________________________________________

All through the Bible there are examples of people being “broken”

to serve others. Moses was called to endure unending waves of gossip

and criticism as he led people to the Promised Land. Joseph was

called to a journey that involved betrayal and imprisonment as he was

brought to a position of service in Egypt. In each case, God permitted

the situations in order that His people’s lives could become theaters of

His grace and care, not only for themselves but for the good of others,

as well. God may use us in the same way. It is easy to feel angry or

hurt in such situations. But as we noted yesterday, meekness is the

God-given ability to endure such things “with patience and without

resentment.”

Read

Ezekiel 24:15–27. What’s happening here? Why was Ezekiel

put through this crucible?

____________________________________________________________________

In verse 24 God says, “ ‘ “Ezekiel will be a sign to you; you will do

just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the

Sovereign Lord” ’ ”

(NIV). Through Ezekiel’s example the people of

Israel were going to be convicted of the truth about who God was, the

Sovereign Lord—as they experienced the fulfillment of the prophecy

that Ezekiel’s life was symbolizing. But they would see this only

because Ezekiel became broken in the fingers of God—for them. Who

knows how many people will see “the Sovereign Lord” through us in

our own broken places, as well?

Sooner or later life itself br

eaks us all.

What has been y

our

experience with being broken? What lessons have you learned?

How can your own broken soul be used by the Lord to help

other people?

MONDAY

December 3

Interceding for Grace

Read

Exodus 32:1–14. What role do we find Moses playing here?

____________________________________________________________________

After the people began worshiping the golden calf, God decided

they had gone too far and announced that He would destroy the peo-

ple and make Moses a great nation. But rather than taking up God’s

offer, Moses pleaded for God to show grace to His people, and God

relented.

Exodus 32:1–14 raises two important issues. First, God’s offer to

destroy the rebellious people and bless Moses was a test for him. God

wanted Moses to demonstrate just how much compassion he felt for

these desperately disobedient people. And Moses passed. Like Jesus,

he pleaded for mercy for sinners. This reveals something very inter-

esting: Sometimes God may also allow us to face opposition, He

might allow us to be in a crucible so that He, we, and the watching

universe can see how much compassion we have for those who are

wayward.

What

reasons did Moses give for asking the Lord not to destroy Israel?

____________________________________________________________________

Second, this passage shows that opposition and disobedience are

calls to reveal grace. Grace is needed when people least deserve it. But

when they least deserve it is also the time that we feel the least like

offering it. But when Moses’ sister, Miriam, was criticizing him, he

cried out to the Lord to heal her from leprosy (Numbers 12). When

God was angry with Korah and his followers and threatened to destroy

them all, Moses fell on his face to plead for their lives. The next day,

when Israel grumbled against Moses for the death of the rebels and

God threatened to destroy them all again, Moses fell facedown and

urged Aaron quickly to make atonement for them all

(Numbers 16). In

his own meekness, in his own selflessness in the midst of this crucible,

Moses sought grace on behalf of those who certainly didn’t deserve it.

Think about the people around you who you think are the least

deserving of grace. How can you, with meekness and selfless

humility, be a revelation of God’s grace to them?

TUESDAY

December 4

Loving Those Who Hurt Us

Someone once said: “Loving our enemies, then, does not mean that

we are supposed to love the dirt in which the pearl is buried; rather it

means that we love the pearl which lies in the dust. . . . God does not

love us because we are by nature lovable. But we become lovable

because He loves us.”

When

you look at your “enemies,” what do you normally see—the

pearl or the dirt around it?

____________________________________________________________________

Read

Matthew 5:43–48. Jesus calls us to love and pray for our ene-

mies. What example from nature does Jesus give us there that

helps us understand why we should love our enemies? What’s the

point He is teaching us?

____________________________________________________________________

In verse 45, Jesus uses the example of His Father in heaven to illus-

trate how we should treat those who hurt us, who perhaps put us in the

worst kind of crucibles. Jesus says that His Father sends the blessing

of rain to both the righteous and the unrighteous; if God gives even the

unjust rain, how then should we treat them, as well?

Jesus isn’t trying to say that we should always have a warm, fuzzy

feeling to everyone who causes us trouble, though this may also be

possible. Fundamentally, love for our enemies is not meant to be a

feeling we have for them but specific actions toward them that reveal

care and consideration.

Jesus concludes this passage with a verse that often causes a lot of

debate: “ ‘Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect’ ”

(vs. 48, NIV). But the meaning is very clear in the context: Those peo-

ple who want to be perfect as God is perfect must show love to their

enemies as God shows love to His. To be perfect in God’s sight is to

love the opposition; and to do this takes a meekness of heart that only

God can give.

Keeping in mind our definition of meekness (“enduring injury

with patience and without resentment”), list the changes you

must make in or

der to allo

w the Lord to give you the kind of

meekness of heart that will help you have the right attitude

toward “enemies.”

WEDNESDAY

December 5

A Closed Mouth

The most powerful examples of meekness in the crucible come

from Jesus. When He said to come and “learn of me; for I am meek

and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29, NKJV), He meant it in ways we

probably can’t imagine.

Read

1 Peter 2:18–25. Peter is offering some surprising advice to slaves.

He describes how Jesus responded to unjust and painful treat-

ment and suggests to them that He has left them “an example, that

you should follow His steps” (1 Pet. 2:21, NKJV). What principles

of meekness and humility in the crucible can we learn from Jesus’

example, as expressed here by Peter?

____________________________________________________________________

It is terrible to watch someone else unjustly treat another. And it is

extremely painful when we are at the receiving end of such treatment.

Because we normally have a strong sense of justice, when injustice

occurs our instincts are to “put things right” while carrying what we

believe to be a righteous and just anger.

It is not easy to live like this. It is perhaps impossible unless we

embrace one critical truth—that in all unjust situations, we must

believe that our Father in heaven is in control and that He will act on

our behalf when it is according to His will. This also means that we

must be open to the possibility that like Jesus, we may not always be

saved from injustice. But we must always remember that our Father in

heaven is still with us and in charge.

Peter’s advice, modeled from Jesus’ life, is surprising because it

seems to be that silence in the face of unjust suffering is a greater wit-

ness to the glory of God than “putting people right.” When questioned

by Caiaphas and Pilate, Jesus could have said a lot of things to correct

the situation and to justify Himself, but He didn’t. His silence was a

testimony to His meekness.

How do you deal with situations in which you have been treated

unfairly? How can you better apply some of the principles

looked at here today to your own life?

THURSDAY

December 6

Our Rock and Refuge

So often the most proud people, the most arrogant and pushy, are

those who suffer from low self-esteem. Their arrogance and pride—

and total lack of meekness or humility—exist as cover, perhaps even

unconsciously, for something lacking inside. What they need is some-

thing we all need: a sense of security, of worthiness, of acceptance,

especially in times of distress and suffering. We can find that only

through the Lord. In short, meekness and humility, far from being

attributes of weakness, are often the most powerful manifestation of a

soul firmly grounded on the Rock.

Read

Psalm 62:1–8. What seems to be the background for this psalm?

What points is David making? What spiritual principles can you

learn from what he is saying? Most important, how can you learn

to apply these principles to your own life?

____________________________________________________________________

“Without cause men will become our enemies. The motives of the

people of God will be misinterpreted, not only by the world, but by

their own brethren. The Lord’s servants will be put in hard places. A

mountain will be made of a molehill to justify men in pursuing a self-

ish, unrighteous course. . . . By misrepresentation these men will be

clothed in the dark vestments of dishonesty because circumstances

beyond their control made their work perplexing. They will be pointed

to as men that cannot be trusted. And this will be done by the mem-

bers of the church. God’s servants must arm themselves with the mind

of Christ. They must not expect to escape insult and misjudgment.

They will be called enthusiasts and fanatics. But let them not become

discouraged. God’s hands are on the wheel of His providence, guiding

His work to the glory of His name.”—Ellen G. White, in

Spalding and

Magan Collection, p. 370.

How immune are you to the reproaches and barbs of others?

Mostly likely not that immune, right? What can you do to bet-

ter cleave to the Lord, to better anchor your sense of self-worth

on the One w

ho lo

es y

ou so much that He died for your sins and

thus help protect yourself against the slights of others?

FRIDAY

December 7

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, “Seeking True Knowledge,”

pp. 453, 454, in The Ministry of Healing; “The Sermon on the

Mount,” pp. 298–314, in The Desire of Ages; “The Worker and His

Qualifications,” p. 630, in Evangelism.

“The difficulties we have to encounter may be very much lessened

by that meekness which hides itself in Christ. If we possess the humil-

ity of our Master, we shall rise above the slights, the rebuffs, the

annoyances, to which we are daily exposed, and they will cease to cast

a gloom over the spirit. The highest evidence of nobility in a Christian

is self-control. He who under abuse or cruelty fails to maintain a calm

and trustful spirit robs God of His right to reveal in him His own per-

fection of character. Lowliness of heart is the strength that gives vic-

tory to the followers of Christ; it is the token of their connection with

the courts above.”—Ellen G. White,

The Desire of Ages, p. 301.

Discussion Questions:

● How does humility allow us to “rise above” hurts and annoy-

ances? What do you think is the most important characteristic of

humility that allows us to do this?

● In your own particular culture, how are the characteristics of

humility and meekness viewed? Are they respected, despised, or

what? What kind of pressures do you face in your culture that

work against your cultivating these characteristics?

● Are there any great examples of meekness and humility from

people alive today? If so, who are they, how have they expressed

these traits, and what can you learn from them?

● Why is it that we so often equate meekness and humility with

weakness?

● We saw how David sought the Lord as a refuge. But how does

that work, how is that refuge always manifested? In other words,

how can we, as a church, be a refuge for those who need a refuge?

What kind of refuge does your own local church provide? What

can you do to help make it a place of refuge for those who need

it?

tor

INSIDE

A Teen With a Mission

Ariane de Melo Felipe is a 14-year-old Brazilian girl with dreams—two

very big dreams. They are not the dreams of most teenage girls. Ariane

dreams of building a church in the Novo Barrio (neighborhood) of the city

of São José do Mipibu, near her home. Her second dream is to study the-

ology. To Ariane her dreams are concrete, for already she has led hundreds

of people to Christ.

When Ariane was still quite young, her parents, Romário and Lourdes,

noticed that Ariane had a heart for God that few others of any age possess.

She joined her church’s Pathfinder Club, began to study the Bible in depth,

and took part in lay training sessions sponsored by her local mission. Then

she organized her own Bible class. As a result of her efforts, six people

gave their lives to Jesus.

Her pastor recommended that Ariane take part in an intensive union-

wide lay training session with adults three or four times her age. After

returning home, she organized a series of meetings and preached 13 times.

As a result, eight people decided to follow Jesus.

Ariane focused on an area four miles (seven kilometers) from her home.

She had to walk along a busy highway to reach the neighborhood, but she

was not afraid. She visited people, gave Bible studies, and organized a

Bible class with 15 participants. And eight more precious souls came to

the Master. When her local mission learned of her continuing dedication

to evangelism, they bought her a bicycle, so she could make the trip more

quickly and safely. Ariane uses her new bicycle to hold more meetings,

organize more Bible study groups, and lead more people to Jesus.

Because of Ariane’s dedication to evangelism, more than one hundred

people in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, have been baptized.

Evangelism takes many forms. Some,

such as Ariane, have the gift of evangelism.

But we all can have a part when we give

our mission offerings every week.

ARIANE DE MELO FELIPE

(left) shares her faith in Rio

ande do Norte

, Br

azil.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*December 8–14

Waiting in the Crucible

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

1 Samuel 26; Ps. 37:1–11;

Rom. 5:3–5; 15:4, 5.

Memor

y Text:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . patience” (Galatians

5:22, NIV).

cientists did an experiment with four-year-old children and

marshmallows. Each child was told by a scientist that they could

have a marshmallow; however, if the child waited until the sci-

entist returned from an errand, they would be given two. Some of the

children stuffed the marshmallow into their mouths the moment the

scientist left; others waited. The differences were noted.

The scientists then kept track of these children into their teenage

years. The ones who had waited turned out to be better adjusted, bet-

ter students, and more confident than those who didn’t. It seemed that

patience was indicative of something greater, something important in

the human character. No wonder, then, we’re told to cultivate it by the

Lord.

This week we’ll look at what could be behind some of the most try-

ing of all crucibles: the crucible of waiting.

The Week at a Glance:

Why do we sometimes have to

wait so long for things? What lessons can we learn about patience

while in the crucible?

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 15.

SUNDAY

December 9

The God of Patience

Read

Romans 15:4, 5. What is found in these verses for us?

____________________________________________________________________

We are normally impatient about things that we really want or have

been promised but don’t have yet. We are often satisfied only when we

get what we are longing for. And because we rarely get what we want

when we want it, it means that we are often doomed to irritation and

impatience. And when we are in this state, it is almost impossible to

maintain a peace and trust in God.

Waiting is painful by definition. In Hebrews, one of the words for

“wait patiently”

(Ps. 37:7, NKJV) comes from a Hebrew word that can

be translated “to be much pained,” “to shake,” “to tremble,” “to be

wounded,” “to be sorrowful.” Learning patience is not easy; some-

times it’s the very essence of what it means to be in the crucible.

Read

Psalms 27:14, 37:7, and Romans 5:3–5. What are these verses

saying to us? What does patience lead to?

____________________________________________________________________

While we wait, we can concentrate on one of two things. We can

focus on the things that we are waiting for, or we can focus on the One

who holds those things in His hands. What makes such a difference

when we wait for something isn’t so much how long we have to wait

as it is our attitude while we wait. If we trust the Lord, if we have

placed our lives in His hands, if we have surrendered our wills to Him,

then we can trust that He will do what’s best for us when it’s best for

us, no matter how hard it is sometimes to believe it.

What things are you desperately waiting for? How can you learn

to surrender everything to God and to His timing? Pray your

way into an attitude of complete surr

ender and submission to

the Lord.

MONDAY

December 10

In God’s Time

Read

Romans 5:6 and Galatians 4:4. What do they tell us about

God’s timing?

____________________________________________________________________

In these texts, Paul tells us that Jesus came to die for us at exactly

the right time. But Paul does not tell us why it was the right time. It is

very easy to read these verses and wonder, Why did Jesus wait for

thousands of years until He came to the earth to deal with sin—didn’t

the universe understand that sin was a very bad thing long before

then?

We may ask why Jesus is waiting to come the second time also.

We may also ask, Why is the Lord waiting so long to answer my

prayer?

Think

about, for instance, the 70-week prophecy of Daniel 9:24–27,

the prophecy that points to Jesus as the Messiah (review it if you

need to). How long was this time period? What does this tell you

about learning to wait for things in God’s time, even if it takes

what seems to us a long time?

____________________________________________________________________

There are many important spiritual reasons that we will experience

waiting times. First, waiting can refocus our attention away from

“things” and back to God Himself. Second, waiting allows us to

develop a clearer picture of our own motives and desires. Third, wait-

ing builds perseverance—spiritual stamina. Fourth, waiting opens the

door to develop many spiritual strengths, such as faith and trust. Fifth,

waiting allows God to put down other pieces in the puzzle of the big-

ger picture. Sixth, we may never know the reason we have to wait;

hence, we learn to live by faith. Can you think of any other reasons for

waiting?

What examples can y

ou find in the Bible of God doing things in

His own time that can help you learn to trust that He will do for

you what’s right in His own time, as well? (Think, for instance,

about Abraham and Sarah and the promise of a son.) At the

same time, ask yourself, “What might I be doing that could be

delaying a pr

er that could ha

e been ans

wered long ago?”

TUESDAY

December 11

David: An Object Lesson in Waiting

In 1 Samuel 16:1–13, we see the young lad David anointed by

Samuel as king. However, it was a long journey from the fields of his

father, Jesse, to the throne in Jerusalem. No doubt, at times he felt in

the midst of a crucible.

First, the lad is called to play music to soothe Saul’s troubled spirit

(1 Samuel 16). Later, he becomes Israel’s hero as he kills Goliath

(1 Samuel 17). Then there are many years during which David is run-

ning for his life. Both Saul and his son Jonathan know that David is

destined to be the next king (1 Sam. 23:17, 24:20). But David does

nothing to advance his God-given destiny. In fact, he appears to do the

opposite. Even when Saul tries to kill him and David snips a piece of

cloth off the king’s robe, he wished he had never done such a thing

(1 Sam. 24:5–7). Again when Saul is trying to kill David, David

refuses to kill Saul when the opportunity arises (1 Sam. 26:7–11).

Read

1 Samuel 26:1–11. Why does David refuse to kill Saul? What

principles does this teach us about the way God brings about His

plans for our lives?

____________________________________________________________________

Now

read 1 Samuel 26:12–25. How does David’s refusal to kill Saul

affect Saul? What does this teach us about the advantages of wait-

ing for God?

____________________________________________________________________

Looking at the whole of David’s road to the throne, we could per-

haps summarize it in a short sentence—don’t grab what God has not

yet given. God’s gifts are always best received from His hand and in

His time. This may require a very long time of waiting. Bean sprouts

may literally grow up within hours, while an oak tree will take many

years. But then when the strong winds come, the tree will not be

uprooted.

Think how easily David could have justified killing Saul. (“After

all, wasn’t I told I’d have the throne? And Saul is so evil any-

way.”) Yet, his actions speak of true faith in God. What might

you be able to draw from this example for yourself in whatever

you might be waiting for?

WEDNESDAY

December 12

Elijah: The Problem of Rushing

The showdown on top of Mount Carmel had ended (1 Kings 18).

Fire had come out of heaven, all the people had acknowledged the true

God, and the false prophets had been put to death. God had been vin-

dicated. You would have thought that Elijah would have been growing

in spiritual strength as the day went on, but suddenly he heard some-

thing that terrified him so much that he wanted to die. Read the rest

of the story in 1 Kings 19:1–9. The last words in the text are worri-

some: “And the word of the Lord came to him: ‘What are you doing

here, Elijah?’ ” (vs. 9, NIV). Evidently, Elijah’s fear caused him to run

and find himself in the wrong place.

After

such a powerful intervention by the Lord, Elijah should have

been full of faith and trust; instead, he runs in fear for his life.

What lesson can we learn from this bad example?

____________________________________________________________________

This story illustrates something important: When we rush, we can

very easily find ourselves in the wrong place. In Elijah’s case, it was

his fear that caused him to be overwhelmed and rush into the desert,

wishing that he had never been born. But there are other things that

cause us to rush outside of God’s plan for us.

Read

the following texts. What things caused the characters depicted

here to rush outside of God’s will?

Gen. 16:1–3; Num. 20:10–12;

Judg. 14:1–3; Matt. 20:20, 21; Luke 9:52–56; Acts 9:1.

____________________________________________________________________

How easy to let such things as ambition, anger, passion, lack of

faith, and a supposed “zeal” for the Lord cause us to rush ahead

to where we shouldn’t be. No one is immune to this danger. The

key is to cultivate a trusting faith in the goodness and mercy of

God, who we know loves us and wants what’s best for us. This

doesn’t happen automatically. Faith might be a gift, but it’s a

gift that needs to be culti

vated, nurtured, and jealously guarded.

THURSDAY

December 13

Learning to Delight in the Lord

“Delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your

heart” (Ps. 37:4, NRSV).

Psalm 37:4 is a wonderful promise. Imagine getting what you have

always wanted. But getting the desires of our hearts hinges on having

a heart that is delighting in the Lord. So what does it mean to “delight

in the Lord”?

Read Psalm 37:1–11. The context for verse 4 is perhaps a little sur-

prising. David is writing about being surrounded by people who are

working against God and against him. When people are working

against us, the natural response is often to get angry or to set out to

justify ourselves. But David advises something different.

the following verses, what is David’s counsel to God’s people in this

situation?

vs. 1

____________________________________________________________________

vs. 5

____________________________________________________________________

vs. 7

____________________________________________________________________

vs. 8

____________________________________________________________________

Read

verse 4 again. In the context of the verses you have just made com-

ments on, what does it mean “to delight in the Lord”?

David is repeating again and again, in different ways, “Trust God.”

Trust Him to act. Don’t get upset, because God is your God, and He

is working for you—even right now. You don’t have to charge in and

try to sort things out by yourself. Your Father in heaven is in charge.

Trust Him. Trust Him completely.

It is in this context that David writes about delighting in the Lord.

To delight in God means that we live in a state of perfect trust.

Nothing can ruffle our peace, because God is here and at work. We

can praise Him, we can even smile, because no one can outwit our

God! When we can learn to do this, we really will receive what our

hearts long for

, because w

e will receive what our loving Father wants

to give us, at the time that most benefits us and His kingdom.

How can you learn to “delight in the Lord”? Spend some time

in prayer, seeking God’s guidance in how this may become a

reality in your life

FRIDAY

December 14

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, “The Anointing of David,”

pp. 637–642; “David and Goliath,” pp. 643–648; “David a Fugitive,”

pp. 649–659; “The Magnanimity of David,” pp. 660–674; “The Death

of Saul,” pp. 675–682, in Patriarchs and Prophets.

God’s plan for us may require that we do a lot of waiting, and this

really can feel like a crucible. Learning patience during this time can

be developed as we focus on the person of God and trust that He is

acting for us. There are many reasons for waiting, but all are con-

cerned with the fulfillment of God’s plans for us and His kingdom.

Much can be lost if we rush ahead of God, but much can be gained by

maintaining an attitude of trust and delight in Him.

“Every trial is weighed and measured by the Lord Jesus Christ, and

it is not beyond man’s ability to endure through the grace given unto

him.”—Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, p. 81.

“I cannot read the purpose of God in my affliction, but He knows

what is best, and I will commit my soul, body, and spirit to Him as

unto my faithful Creator. ‘For I know whom I have believed, and am

persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto

him against that day’ (2 Tim. 1:12)

. If we educated and trained our

souls to have more faith, more love, greater patience, and a more per-

fect trust in our heavenly Father, I know we would have more peace

and happiness day by day as we pass through the conflicts of this life.

“The Lord is not pleased to have us fret and worry ourselves out of

the arms of Jesus. More is needed of the quiet waiting and watching

combined. We think unless we have feeling that we are not in the right

track, and we keep looking within for some sign befitting the occa-

sion; but the reckoning is not of feeling but of faith.”—Ellen G.

White,

Selected Messages, book 2, p. 242.

Discussion Questions:

● What does it mean that every trial is “weighed and measured”

by Jesus? How can knowing this help us while we wait?

● Have people in class give personal testimonies to what patient

waiting is all about. What were their fears, their joys? How did

they cope? What did they learn? What promises did they cling

to?

● What can you do as a church, or a class, to help others who

are in the crucible as they await God’s timing for something?

● What is the role of prayer in the development of patience? Are

there others you can pray for so the Spirit will develop patience

in their lives?

tor

INSIDE

Mickey’s Mission

by HOMER TRECARTIN

My wife and I were visiting a small country church in rural Virginia,

U.S.A. The little church looked sleepy, but we soon learned that it was

alive and active in mission.

Mickey greeted us at the door with a memorable phrase, “If ya really

want ta find somethin’, ya will!” Seeing our interest in his statement, he

continued. “Some folk think Ah was vaccinated with a phonograph nee-

dle, but really, Ah just want ta find people Ah can tell ’bout Jesus,” Mickey

said in his country drawl. “Even out here in the country, if ya want ta find

people ta tell ’bout Jesus, just look for ’em. They’re all around ya. Why, a

few days ago Ah met a man who had read the book ’bout Desmond T.

Doss, and now he wants ta find the book so his girl can read it. Ah went

home and ordered one fer him and sent it direct ta his house. Later Ah’ll

go see him with other literature.”

Mickey related that two days earlier he had met an Amish man. When

Mickey started talking to the man about Jesus, the man said he didn’t have

time to talk. Mickey’s smile dimmed as he said softly, “I reckon I won’t

ever have no time ta talk ’bout Jesus.”

The man stopped working, looked at Mickey, and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t

really mean that. It’s just, well, somethin’s been botherin me lately.”

“What’s that?” Mickey asked, the sparkle returning to his eyes as he

relived the story.

“Well, someone gave me a book on the Ten Commandments,” the man

said, “and I’ve been reading it. But I just don’t know what to think. Do you

think I will be lost if I don’t keep Saturday as the Sabbath?”

Mickey rubbed his chin and answered slowly, “I reckon I’m not the

judge of those things. But I do remember Jesus said once, ‘If ya love Me,

keep My commandments.’ ”

The service was about to start, but just as I stood to join the elders on

the platform, Mickey whispered, “I’m a goin’ back ta see him this week.”

Later I learned that Mickey has a barrel half full of arrowheads at his

house. When people ask where he found them all, he smiles and tells

them, “Same way Ah find people to tell ’bout Jesus. Ah look for ’em

wherever Ah is! If ya really want ta find somethin’, ya will!”

HOMER TRECARTIN

is dir

ector f

or planning in the Of

ice of

Adventist Mission at the Gener

Conference. Mickey shares his faith in Carter, Virginia.

Produced by the General Conf

erence Office of Ad

ventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

L ESSON

*December 15–21

Dying Like a Seed

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This W

eek’s Study:

1 Sam. 2:12–3:18; 13:1–14;

Zech. 4:1–14; Rom. 12:1, 2; Phil. 2:5–9.

Memor

y Text:

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls

to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies,

it produces many seeds”

(John 12:24, NIV).

esus’ picture of a kernel of wheat dying is a fascinating analogy of

our submission to God’s will.

First, there is the falling. The kernel that falls from the wheat stalk

has no control over where or how it falls to the ground. It has no con-

trol over the ground that surrounds and then presses over it.

Second, there is the waiting. As the kernel lies in the earth, it does

not know what the future holds. It cannot “imagine” what life will be

like in the future, for it is only a kernel of wheat.

Third, there is the dying. The kernel cannot possibly become a

wheat stalk unless it gives up the safe, comfortable situation as a ker-

nel. It must “die”; that is, it must give up what it has always been

before it may be transformed from a seed into a fruit-bearing plant.

The Week at a Glance:

If we know that God’s will is best

for us, why do we have such a hard time accepting it? What exam-

ple of submission has Christ left f

or us? Ho

w do y

ou see the anal

ogy of the kernel of wheat applying to your own life?

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 22.

SUNDAY

December 16

Submission for Service

Read

Philippians 2:5–9. What important message is there for us in

these verses?

____________________________________________________________________

Contemporary culture urges us all to demand and assert our rights.

And all this is good and is often the way it should be. But, as with

Jesus, the will of God may ask us to freely give up our rights in order

to serve the Father in ways that will make an eternal impact for God’s

kingdom. This process of giving them up may be difficult and uncom-

fortable, creating the conditions of a crucible. Look at how Jesus did

this

(Phil. 2:5–8). These verses describe three steps that Jesus took in

submitting Himself to the Father’s will. And at the beginning, Paul

alarmingly reminds us: “Your attitude should be the same as that of

Christ Jesus” (vs. 5, NIV).

In order to be in a position to save us, Jesus gave up His equality

with the Father and moved to earth in the form and limitations of a

human being (vss. 6, 7, NIV). Jesus did not come as a great and glori-

ous human being but as a servant of other human beings (vs. 7, NIV).

As a human servant, Jesus did not live a peaceful and long life but

“became obedient to death.” But He did not even die in a noble and

glorious manner. No, He was “obedient to death—even death on a

cross!”

(vs. 8, NIV).

what areas of life is this example of Jesus a model for us? If rights

and equality are good and should be protected, how would you

explain the logic of sometimes needing to give them up? Now read

verse 9. In what way does this verse help us to understand the logic

of submission to the Father’s will?

____________________________________________________________________

Pray for wisdom from the Holy Spirit, asking, What rights am I

holding on to right now that actually might be a barrier to sub-

mitting to Jesus’ will in serving my family, my church, and those

around me? To what extent am I willing to endure discomfort to

serve others mor

e effectively?

MONDAY

December 17

Dying Comes Before Knowing God’s

Will

Many Christians sincerely seek to know God’s will for their lives.

“If only I could know God’s will for my life, I would sacrifice every-

thing for Him.” But even after promising God this, we still may be

confused about that will. The reason for this confusion may be found

in Romans 12:1, 2. Paul is describing how we can know God’s will,

and he makes an important point: If you want to know what God’s will

is, you have to sacrifice first!

Read Romans 12:1, 2. Paul writes that we will be able to “test and

approve what God’s will is” (vs. 2, NIV) when:

1. We have a true understanding of “God’s mercy” for us (vs. 1,

NIV).

2. We offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God (vs. 1).

3. Our minds are renewed (vs. 2).

It is only the renewed mind that truly can understand God’s will. But

this renewal hinges on our death to self first. It was not enough that

Christ simply suffered for us—He had to die. It is the same with us.

Ask

the Holy Spirit to show you any areas in which you are not com-

pletely “dead.” What things does the Holy Spirit need you to give

up in order to become a “living sacrifice” for God?

When areas of our lives are not completely dead to self, God per-

mits crucibles to bring them to our attention. However, our suffering

not only helps us confront our sin, it also gives us an insight into

Jesus’ giving Himself up for us. Elisabeth Elliot writes, “The surren-

der of our heart’s deepest longing is perhaps as close as we come to an

understanding of the cross. . . . Our own experience of crucifixion,

though immeasurably less than our Savior’s, nonetheless furnishes us

with a chance to begin to know Him in the fellowship of His suffer-

ings. In every form of our own suffering, He calls us to that fellow-

ship.”—

Quest for Love (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Fleming H. Revell,

1966), p. 182.

Read and pray over Romans 12:1, 2. Think about the things you

need to give up in order for you to become a sacrifice. How does

this help you to understand the sufferings Jesus faced for you on

the cross? How can this knowledge help you enter into fellow-

ship with Jesus and His sufferings?

TUESDAY

December 18

Willingness to Listen

“The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times,

‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is

listening’ ”

(1 Sam. 3:10, NIV).

Have you ever heard that still, small voice of the Holy Spirit but

ignored it? Consequently, everything went wrong, and you thought to

yourself later, Oh no, why didn’t I listen?

First Samuel describes a story of an old man and two wicked sons

who didn’t listen to the Lord and a little boy who did. Though there

were strong warnings from God, those who needed to change their

course didn’t.

Read

their story in 1 Samuel 2:12–3:18. What contrast is made appar-

ent here between those who listen to God and those who don’t?

____________________________________________________________________

Eli’s sons had other things on their minds than the things of God.

And even when Eli, after hearing what God wanted, spoke to his sons,

he didn’t seem to do anything else. And his sons were obviously not

ready to submit the details of their lives to God’s will. What a contrast

to the young Samuel!

Preacher Charles Stanley describes how essential it is to cultivate

openness to God’s voice in what he calls “shifting into neutral.” He

says: “The Holy Spirit . . . does not speak for the sake of passing along

information. He speaks to get a response. And He knows when our

agenda has such a large slice of our attention that it is a waste of time

to suggest anything to the contrary. When that is the case, He is often

silent. He waits for us to become neutral enough to hear and eventu-

ally obey.”—

The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas

Nelson, Inc., Publishers, 1992), pp. 179, 180.

What do you think Stanley means by becoming “neutral

enough”? When you think about your openness to God, what

things often pr

ent you from being “neutral enough to hear

and eventually obey”? What do you need to do in your life to

cultivate openness to God’s voice and a decisiveness to be obe-

dient to His dir

ection?

100

WEDNESDAY

December 19

Self-Reliance

When Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, it wasn’t simply because

she doubted God’s word. At the heart of the problem was her belief

that she had enough wisdom to decide what was good and right for

herself. She trusted her own judgment. When we rely on our own

judgment as opposed to trusting God’s Word, we open ourselves up to

all sorts of problems.

The story of Saul describes the steps to self-reliance and the tragedy

that so quickly follows. Samuel anointed Saul as God’s king

(1 Sam.

10:1). Then he gave Saul specific instructions (vs. 8), but Saul dis-

obeyed.

Read

the next part of the story in 1 Samuel 13:1–14. What did Saul do

that led to his own downfall?

____________________________________________________________________

There are three steps that led Saul down the road to self-reliance so

soon after having been made king. The problem is that none of the

steps were that bad in themselves. Yet, they contained the seeds of

tragedy because they were each taken independently of God. Notice

the order in which Saul’s fall occurred.

1. Saul said, “I saw”

(NIV)—the scattering of his troops and

Samuel’s absence (vs. 11). Saul was under pressure, and he evaluated

with his own eyes what was happening.

2. Saul moved from “I saw” to “I said”—that the Philistines would

conquer them (vs. 12, NKJV). What he saw with his own eyes shaped

what he said, or surmised, about the situation.

3. Saul moved from “I said” to “I felt”—compelled to offer sacri-

fice (vs. 12, NKJV). What Saul thought now shaped his feelings.

All of us have done this: We rely on our own human eyesight, which

leads us to rely on our own human thinking, which leads us to rely on

our own human feelings. And then we act on these feelings.

Why do you think it was so easy for Saul to follow his own judg-

ment, even though he had God’s clear instructions still ringing

in his ears? If we know that we are so fragile and have such

imperfect knowledge, why do we still try to rely on ourselves?

What can we do to learn more to trust in the Lord’s commands

than upon our

selv

es?

_____________________________________________________

101

THURSDAY

December 20

Substitutes

As we saw yesterday, submission to God’s will can be undermined

as we rely on our own strength. It also is possible to rely on other sub-

stitutes for God. When some people feel depressed, they go shopping

for something to make them happy. When some feel inadequate, they

pursue fame. When others have difficulties with their spouse, they

look for someone else to give them intimacy and excitement.

Many of the things we use can relieve the pressure, but they do not

necessarily solve the problem nor teach us how to handle the situation

better the next time. Only supernatural help from God can do that. The

problem is that many times we try to depend on substitutes for God

rather than on God Himself.

Here are three substitutes that we may use instead of God:

1. Using human logic or past experience when we need fresh divine

revelation.

2. Blocking problems from our minds when we need divine solu-

tions.

3. Escaping reality and avoiding God when we need communion

with God for divine power.

Zechariah helps us to focus on what really matters when we are

tempted to use substitutes. After many years away, the exiles had

finally returned from Babylon and immediately began to rebuild the

temple. But there was an incredible amount of opposition to this (some

background can be found in Ezra 4–6). So Zechariah came with this

message of encouragement to Zerubbabel, who was leading the work.

Read

this message in Zechariah 4:1–14.What does God mean in verse

6? How could the completion of a building project be affected by

the Holy Spirit? What does this teach us about the relationship

between the Holy Spirit and the practical things that we do?

____________________________________________________________________

God did not prevent the opposition to the temple nor spare

Zerubbabel from the stress of dealing with it. And God will not always

protect us from opposition. But when opposition comes, God may use

it as a crucible to teach us to depend on Him.

When stress comes, what’s your first reaction? Food? Television?

Prayer? Submission to God? What does your answer tell you

about yourself and the things you need to learn or to change?

102

FRIDAY

December 21

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, “Eli and His Sons,” pp. 575–

580; “The Presumption of Saul,” pp. 616–626, in Patriarchs and

Prophets.

Submission to God’s will comes as we die to our own desires and

ambitions. This opens the way for true service to others. We cannot

live for God without becoming a sacrifice and living in continual

openness to God’s voice. For us to truly submit our wills to our

Father’s will, we must recognize the dangers of relying on ourselves

and on substitutes for God’s Word and power. As submission to God’s

will is at the heart of a Christlike life, God may allow crucibles to

teach us dependence on Him.

“The neglect of Eli is brought plainly before every father and

mother in the land. As the result of his unsanctified affection or his

unwillingness to do a disagreeable duty, he reaped a harvest of iniq-

uity in his perverse sons. Both the parent who permitted the wicked-

ness and the children who practiced it were guilty before God, and He

would accept no sacrifice or offering for their transgression.”—Ellen

G. White, Child Guidance, p. 276.

Discussion Questions:

● As a class, talk about the incredible condescension of the Son

of God in coming to earth as a human being in order to die for

our sins. What does it tell each of us about what self-sacrifice and

self-denial for the good of others means? Though we certainly

can’t do anything like that, the principle is there and should

always be before us. What ways can we, in our own spheres, emu-

late the kind of submission and self-sacrifice shown to us by

Jesus at the Cross?

● For many people, submitting to God without knowing what

will happen next can be a terrifying thing. How would you coun-

sel someone who is relying on themselves rather than God? What

would you say to help remove their fears of not knowing—or

being able to control—the future?

● As a class, spend some time praying for people you know who

have difficulty in submitting to God’s will, that they may see that

trusting God’s will is the only route to a lasting peace. At the

same time, what practical things can you do for these people to

help them see that they can surrender to God and that His way is

the best? In other w

ds,

how can God use you to help others

know of His love and willingness to provide?

tor

INSIDE

103

Invited by an Angel

by BENJAMIN D. SCHOUN

In the Muslim country of Azerbaijan, one family of new believers is

convinced that an angel guided them to the Adventist Church.

A young woman named Gunel and her family had just lost their grand-

father. Her mother cried quietly as she rode the city bus to the family’s

grave site. A woman came to comfort her, saying that God is good, that

Jesus will come again, and that there is hope for the future. Then the

woman told Gunel’s mother about a church where she could go to learn

more about these things.

A month later Gunel’s mother again saw the woman on the bus. The

woman again encouraged her and gave her the address of the church.

Gunel’s mother asked Gunel to go with her one Saturday morning to this

church. They had never been inside a Christian church before and hesi-

tated to enter. Then one of the church greeters saw them and invited them

in, where they were welcomed with hugs and kisses.

Gunel and her mother enjoyed the worship. After the service Gunel’s

mother asked about the woman she had met on the bus. She described the

woman in detail, but no one recognized the description. The pastor, who

knew every Adventist in the city, listened carefully. He did not recognize

the woman’s description and suggested that Gunel’s mother had met an

angel.

Gunel and her mother continued attending church and studied the Bible

diligently. First Gunel’s mother was baptized, then Gunel and her brother

and sister followed. Now they host a small group meeting in their home.

Gunel’s father, still a Muslim, is favorable to Adventists.

Gunel’s Muslim friends harass her because she has become a Christian.

But Gunel is not deterred. Recently she took an Adventist World Radio

seminar to learn how to produce radio pro-

grams. Perhaps Gunel will be part of AWR’s

outreach into her homeland, where today just

a handful of believers live.

GUNEL

(left).

BENJAMIN D. SCHOUN

is president of

Adventist World Radio.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

104

L ESSON

*December 22–28

Christ in the Crucible

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week’s Study:

Matt. 2:1–18; 27:51, 52;

Luke 2:7, 22–24; 22:41–44; John 8:58, 59; Rom. 6:23; Titus 1:2.

Memor

y Text:

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a

loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My

God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

(Matthew 27:46).

henever we look at the issue of suffering, the question

comes: How did sin and suffering first arise? Through

divine revelation we have good answers: They arose because

free beings abused the freedom God had given them. This leads to

another question: Did God know beforehand that these beings would

fall? Yes, but obviously He thought it was, as C. S. Lewis wrote,

“worth the risk.”

Worth the risk? For whom? For us, while God sits in heaven on His

throne? Not exactly. The freedom of all His intelligent creatures was

so sacred that, rather than deny us freedom, God agreed to bear in

Himself the brunt of the suffering caused by our abuse of that free-

dom. And we see that suffering in the life and death of Jesus, who,

through suffering in our flesh, has created bonds between heaven and

earth that will last throughout eternity.

The Week at a Glance:

What did Christ suffer in our be-

half? What can w

e lear

n fr

om His suffering?

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 29.

105

SUNDAY

December 23

The Early Days

Scripture gives us little information about the early years of Jesus.

A few verses, however, tell us something about those conditions and

the kind of world the Savior entered.

Read

Luke 2:7, 22–24 (see also Lev. 12:6–8) and Matthew 2:1–18.

What do we see in these texts that gives us an indication of the

kind of life Jesus faced from the start?

____________________________________________________________________

Of course, Jesus was not the first person to live in poverty or to face

those who wanted to kill Him, even from an early age. There is, how-

ever, another element that helps us understand the uniqueness of what

Christ suffered from the earliest times.

Read

John 1:46. What element does this add to help us understand

what sufferings the young Jesus had faced?

____________________________________________________________________

With the exception of Adam and Eve before the Fall, Jesus was the

only sinless Person who ever lived on the earth. In His purity, in His

sinlessness, He was immersed in a world of sin. What a torture it must

have been, even as a child, for His pure soul constantly to be in con-

tact with sin. Even in our hardness because of sin, we ourselves often

shrink away at sins and evil that we find repulsive. Imagine what it

must have been like for Christ, whose soul was pure, who wasn’t the

least bit tainted by sin. Think of the sharp contrast between Christ and

others around Him in that regard. It must have been exceedingly

painful for Him.

Ask yourself, “How sensitive am I to the sins that exist all

around us? Does it bother me, or am I hardened to it?” If you

are hardened to it, could it be because of the things you read,

watch, or even do? Think about it.

106

MONDAY

December 24

Despised and Rejected of Men

Read

the following texts, keeping in mind the whole time the fact that

Jesus was divine, the Creator of heaven and earth and that He

came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world

(Matt. 12:22–24; Luke 4:21–30; John 8:58, 59). How do these texts

help us understand the sufferings that Jesus faced here on earth?

____________________________________________________________________

Whether by leaders, or even by the common people, Jesus’life, acts,

and teaching were constantly misunderstood, leading to rejection and

hatred by people He came to save. In a certain sense it must be like a

parent who sees a wayward child in need of help, and though the par-

ent is willing to give everything for that child, the child spurns the par-

ent, heaping scorn and rejection upon perhaps the only person who

can spare that child from utter ruin. That’s what Jesus faced while here

on earth. How painful it must have been for Him.

Read

Matthew 23:37. What does that tell us about how Christ felt

about the rejection? As you read, ask yourself, too, “Was He feel-

ing bad for Himself [as we often do when facing rejection], or was

it for another reason?” If for another reason, what was it?

____________________________________________________________________

We’ve all felt the sting of rejection, and maybe our pain was simi-

lar to Christ’s in that it was unselfish: We were pained not because we

were rejected but because of what the rejection would mean for the

one who was rejecting you (perhaps someone you care about who

refuses to accept salvation in Christ). Imagine, though, what it must

have felt to Jesus, who was fully aware of what He was to face in order

to save them, and at the same time fully aware of what the conse-

quences of their rejection would be. “It was because of His innocence

that He [Christ] felt so keenly the assaults of Satan.”—Ellen G. White,

Selected Messag

es,

book 3, p. 129.

What can you learn from Christ that can help you better cope

with the pain of rejection? What does His example show you?

How can you apply it to your own life?

107

TUESDAY

December 25

Jesus in Gethsemane

“And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto

death: tarry ye here, and watch” (Mark 14:34).

Whatever Jesus suffered through His 33 years here on earth, noth-

ing compared to what He started to face in the last hours before the

Cross. From the eternal ages (Eph. 1:1–4; 2 Tim. 1:8, 9; Titus 1:1, 2)

the sacrifice of Jesus as the offering for the world’s sin was planned,

and now it was all coming to pass.

What

do the following texts tell us about Christ’s suffering in

Gethsemane? Matt. 26:39, Mark 14:33–36, Luke 22:41–44.

____________________________________________________________________

“He went a little distance from them—not so far but that they could

both see and hear Him—and fell prostrate upon the ground. He felt

that by sin He was being separated from His Father. The gulf was so

broad, so black, so deep, that His spirit shuddered before it. This

agony He must not exert His divine power to escape. As man He must

suffer the consequences of man’s sin. As man He must endure the

wrath of God against transgression.

“Christ was now standing in a different attitude from that in which

He had ever stood before. His suffering can best be described in the

words of the prophet, ‘Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and

against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts.’ Zech. 13:7.

As the substitute and surety for sinful man, Christ was suffering under

divine justice. He saw what justice meant. Hitherto He had been as an

intercessor for others; now He longed to have an intercessor for

Himself.”—Ellen G. White,

The Desire of Ages, p. 686.

Dwell upon what was happening to Jesus in Gethsemane.Already

the sins of the world were starting to fall upon Him. Try to imag-

ine what that must have been like. No human being has ever been

called to go through anything like this before. What does this tell

us about God’

s love for us? What hope can you draw from this for

yourself?

108

WEDNESDAY

December 26

The Crucified God

Death by crucifixion was one of the harshest punishments the

Romans meted out to anyone. It was considered the worst way to die.

Thus, how horrific for anyone to be killed that way, much less the Son

of God! Jesus, we must always remember, came in human flesh like

ours. Between the beatings, the scourgings, the nails hammered into

His hands and feet, the harrowing weight of His own body tearing at

the wounds, and the physical pain must have been unbearable. This

was harsh, even for the worst of criminals; how unfair, then, that

Jesus, innocent of everything, should face such a fate.

Yet, as we know, Christ’s physical sufferings were mild in contrast

to what was really happening. This was more than just the killing of

an innocent man.

What

events surrounding the death of Jesus showed that more was

going on than most people there understood at the time? What

significance can we find in each of these events that can help

reveal what happened there?

Matt. 27:45

____________________________________________________________________

Matt. 27:51, 52

____________________________________________________________________

Mark 15:38

____________________________________________________________________

Clearly, something much more was happening here than just the

death, however unfairly, of an innocent man. According to Scripture,

God’s wrath against sin, our sin, was poured out upon Jesus. Jesus on

the cross suffered not sinful humanity’s unjust wrath but a righteous

God’s righteous indignation against sin, the sins of the whole world.

As such, Jesus suffered something deeper, darker, and more painful

than any human being could ever know or experience.

As you go through whatever struggles you are facing, what hope

and comfort can you draw from the reality of Christ suffering

for you on the cross?

109

THURSDAY

December 27

The Suffering God

We might as well get used to it: As long as we are here, in this world,

we are going to suffer. It is, as fallen creatures, our fate. Nothing in

the Bible promises us anything differently. On the contrary . . .

What

do the following texts have to tell us about the topic at hand? Acts

14:22, Phil. 1:29, 2 Tim. 3:12.

____________________________________________________________________

Yet, in the midst of our suffering, two things we should keep in

mind.

First, Christ, our Lord, has suffered worse than any of us ever could.

At the Cross, He “has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows”

(Isa.

53:4, NKJV); what we know only as individuals, He suffered corpo-

rately, for us all. He, who was sinless, became “sin for us” (2 Cor.

5:21), suffering in a way that we, as sinful creatures, couldn’t begin to

imagine.

But second, as we suffer, we should remember the results of Christ’s

suffering; that is, what we have been promised through what Christ

has done for us.

Read

John 10:28, Romans 6:23, Titus 1:2, and 1 John 2:25. What are

we promised?

____________________________________________________________________

Whatever our sufferings here, thanks to Jesus, thanks to His bearing

in Himself the punishment of our sin, thanks to the great provision of

the gospel—that through faith we can stand perfect in Jesus right

now—we have the promise of eternal life. We have the promise that

because of what Christ has done, because of the fullness and com-

pleteness of His perfect life and perfect sacrifice, our existence here,

full of pain, disappointment, and loss, is no more than an instant, a

flash, here and gone. In contrast to this, there is the eternity that awaits

us, an eternity in a new heavens and a new earth, one without sin, suf-

fering, and death. And all this is promised to us and made certain for

us only because of Christ and the crucible He went into so that one

day, coming soon, He would see “the travail of his soul, and shall be

satisfied”

(Isa. 53:11).

110

FRIDAY

December 28

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, “Gethsemane,” pp. 685–697;

“Calvary,” pp. 741–757, in The Desire of Ages.

“Three times has He uttered that prayer. Three times has humanity

shrunk from the last, crowning sacrifice. But now the history of the

human race comes up before the world’s Redeemer. He sees that the

transgressors of the law, if left to themselves, must perish. He sees the

helplessness of man. He sees the power of sin. The woes and lamen-

tations of a doomed world rise before Him. He beholds its impending

fate, and His decision is made. He will save man at any cost to

Himself. He accepts His baptism of blood, that through Him perishing

millions may gain everlasting life. He has left the courts of heaven,

where all is purity, happiness, and glory, to save the one lost sheep, the

one world that has fallen by transgression. And He will not turn from

His mission. He will become the propitiation of a race that has willed

to sin. His prayer now breathes only submission: ‘If this cup may not

pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.’ ”—Ellen G.

White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 690, 693.

Discussion Questions:

● How does it help us in our own sufferings, this knowledge that

God Himself, in the person of Christ, suffered worse than any of

us ever could? What should the sufferings of Christ in our behalf

mean to us? What comfort can we draw from this amazing

truth? As you think about your answer, keep in mind the follow-

ing statement from Ellen White: “All the suffering which is the

result of sin was poured into the bosom of the sinless Son of

God.”—Ellen G. White,

Selected Messages, book 3, p. 129.

● As a class, go over the sufferings of Christ looked at in this

week’s lesson. What were the crucibles that Christ faced? In

what ways are they like our own; in what ways are they different?

What can we learn from how He handled these challenges that

can help us amid our own crucibles?

● What are some of your favorite Bible promises, promises that

you can cling to amid sorrow and pain? Write them out, claim

them for yourself, and share them in class.

● Write out a summary paragraph, highlighting whatever few

main points you got from this quarter’s lesson. What questions

were resolved for you? What issues still remain unanswered?

How can we help each other work through those things that still

greatly perplex and trouble us?

tor

INSIDE

111

Surprised by the Spirit

by GILBERT CANGY

A couple of years ago, God showed up in a mysterious way while I was

ministering to young people. I had been invited to be the evening devo-

tional speaker for a regional youth congress on Ambrym, a remote island

belonging to Vanuatu, an island republic in the South Pacific.

Although Ambrym is halfway between Australia and the island nation

of Fiji, it is still entrenched in its traditional village life. When we arrived,

we were greeted by the village chief, who offered us a giant yam, a baby

chick, and beautiful coconut juice—traditional welcoming gifts for visi-

tors, as he gave us permission to enter his territory.

Soon the evening meetings began. I was surprised to find a large num-

ber of older village folk coming to the meetings. I knew most of them did

not speak English, but Bislama, their traditional language. Because the

young people attending the youth congress all speak English, no transla-

tion had been provided. I decided that these older folks had come to hear

the music and to support the youth in attendance.

The week of meetings went well, and toward the end of the week, I

invited the youth to give their hearts to the Lord. Again I was surprised—

this time at the number of older people who responded to the call. Later I

expressed my appreciation for the support of the older folks, in spite of the

fact that they could hardly understand what was being said.

“Oh, no,” the man responded. “They have understood every word.

Perhaps we should have told you that after your first night’s message,

some of the local elders came to ask us where you had learned Bislama.

They were pleased that you were preaching in their language.”

I paused in humility and praise as I realized that I was seeing God work-

ing as He had during Pentecost. God knew that these older people needed

to hear His message of love and salvation, just as their youth needed to

hear.

Mission is not dead. In some places it is as new as it was 2,000 years

ago when everyone heard God’s message in their own tongue. Your mis-

sion offerings make out-

reach to the farthest cor-

ners of the world possible.

GILBERT CANGY

is the youth

director in the South Pacific

Division, headquarter

ed in

ustr

alia.

Produced by the General Conf

erence Office of Adventist Mission.

Web site: www.adventistmission.org

2008

112

Bible Study Guide for the First Quarter

Next quarter’s Bible study guide will look at discipleship as the

experience between Jesus and those He called to apprenticeship

with Him. Discipleship by Bertram Melbourne will explore the

process of becoming a disciple, and what the major characteristics

of discipleship are.

Lesson 1

—An Overview of Discipleship

The Week at a Glance:

SUNDAY: Discipleship, Historical and Personal (Matt. 4:18–22,

John 1:40–42, Acts 11:26)

MONDAY: Who Is a Disciple?(Luke 14:25, 26)

TUESDAY: How Does One Become a Disciple? (Matt. 4:18, 19;

Mark 1:19, 20; 2:13, 14)

WEDNESDAY: Requirements of Discipleship (Matt. 16:24, 25;

Mark 8:34, 35; Luke 9:23)

THURSDAY: The Essence of Discipleship (Matt. 10:32, 33; 22:37–40)

Memory Text—

Matthew 4:18, 19

Sabbath Gem:

Those who accept Christ and commit to the task

of discipleship are called to live under complete surrender to His

lordship in their lives. There is no room for retreat. It is a call to

move “Forward ever, backward never.”

Lesson 2

—Discipleship Then and Now

The Week at a Glance:

SUNDAY: Discipleship Among the Greeks (John 12:20, 21)

MONDAY: Discipleship Among the Jews (Acts 5:34–39, 22:3)

TUESDAY: Discipleship With John the Baptist (John 3:21–30)

WEDNESDAY: Discipleship With Jesus (Matt. 4:18–20)

THURSDAY: Contemporary Discipleship (Matt. 24:14; 28:19, 20;

Rev. 14:6–12)

Memory Text—

Mark 16:20

Sabbath Gem:

Discipleship goes back to before the time of

Jesus’ earthly ministry in Greek, Jewish, and other ancient cultures.

There are great lessons that can be found there and from the life of

the Great Teacher that can help us to live more fully for Christ

today.

Lessons for the Visually Impaired:

The regular Adult Sabbath School

Bible Study Guide

is available free each month in braille and on audiocassette to

sight-impaired and physically handicapped persons who cannot read normal ink

print. This includes individuals who

, because of ar

thritis, multiple sclerosis, paralysis,

accident, and so f

th, cannot hold or focus on normal ink-print publications. Contact

Christian Record Services, Box 6097, Lincoln, NE 68506-0097.